After more than half a century of silence, the bells of St James Church in Sevenhampton are ringing once more, thanks to determination, careful investigation and many hours of volunteer work.
In 1971, the bells were declared unringable and access to the tower was closed due to concerns about the safety of the ringing chamber floor. As a result, the bells fell silent and remained so for decades.
In September 2021, Mark and Teresa Birtwistle moved to Sevenhampton. They joined St James Church and, two years later, started learning to bell-ring at Highworth tower. Mark had previously been interested in why the bells of St James were not in use and had been told it was unsafe to access the tower.
In the summer of 2023, whilst carrying out work on the pipe organ, Paul Mortier heard water dripping down from under the bell-ringing chamber floor and wanted to find the source of the leak to prevent damage. He was permitted access to the tower in early 2024 and, by applying repairs, he managed to significantly reduce the amount of water coming in.
A few weeks later, during a chance conversation with Paul’s parents, Mark learned that Paul had been working on the water issue, and they decided to work together to permanently fix the leak. On inspection, they saw that after over 50 years without maintenance, the bird mesh on the belfry louvres had failed and the roof gutters had filled with soil and plants. This led to water dripping down inside the tower.
In late 2024, Mark and Paul began work clearing the 50+ years of debris that had built up in the Belfry, fixing the glass in the windows of the ringing chamber, and replacing sealant that had failed. The tower has no power; therefore, the work was performed with head torches and battery floodlights. They were successful in solving the issues and the tower began drying out.
During these works, they made a surprising discovery that opened up the possibility of the bells being ringable once again. Mark and Paul observed that what was thought to be the floor of the belfry, and was considered unsafe, is actually the ceiling of the ringing chamber. The ceiling planks are nailed to the underside of the bell frame, giving the illusion that they are the belfry floor. This is what was raised in the 1971 report and the misinterpretation led to access to the tower being stopped. The discovery meant that access to the bells could be possible, provided the chamber was deemed safe.
Mark contacted Simon Adams of Taylor Bells to arrange a visit for him to assess the state of the bells and the tower. Potential issues of water damage and decades of reports describing the bell frame as weak meant that Mark and Paul did not expect a positive outcome of the inspection. It was therefore a great surprise for them to discover that the wooden frame was in suitable condition and there was potential that the bells could be rung.
Wooden planks were replaced, new bolts were inserted and brass shims were added to five of the six bells. On 27 November, Simon made a second inspection. He observed that the ringing of the five bells appeared to have no detrimental effect on the bells and bell frame. He concluded that the bells can be rung for up to 3 hours per month, provided maintenance checks are carried out between sessions.
The bells were therefore rung before the carol service at St James on 17 December, which was a wonderful surprise for the local community.
Mark said: “The impact on the village has been amazing, virtually everyone is pleased that the bells are ringing again and no negative feedback has been received by us.”
After the success of getting 5 of the bells ringable in time for Christmas, some further repairs were required before focus turned to the final bell.
A metal sleeve was fitted around the headstock and set in place with resin, with the goal of completing the work on the tenor in time for all six bells to be rung for Easter Day. At one point, it seemed as though it might not be possible to get the bells ready in time; however, the team were eventually able to reassemble the bell on the afternoon of Good Friday. The Easter Day service ringing was a great success, and people across the village heard all six bells ringing for the first time in over half a century!
Focus now turns to the future, with fundraising having begun for a new steel frame to rehang the bells and to resolve a number of issues with the belfry.
Mark said: "Our target is £160,000 and we are hopeful of being able to raise the funds required over the next few years.”
If you would like support with any aspect of your church building, you can contact the Church Buildings team at ChurchBuildings@bristoldiocese.org