THE BELLS at a church in Burton Dassett are getting refurbished for the first time since they were installed in the 17th century.
Four of the six bells at the 12th century All Saints’ Church are being removed so that the hangings can be refurbished over the winter months.
The bells were installed in 1686 during the reign of James II and have been in the bell tower ever since.
They are often rung for weddings and other occasions and also for important national events when full three hour peals or half peals are rung, such as the Trafalgar Day celebrations in 2005 and both Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee in 1976 and the Platinum Jubilee in 2022. Most recently they rang out for King Charles II’s Coronation.
The work to remove the bells will begin the week commencing November 5 with experts anticipating it will take several days to carefully remove them from their stocks and fittings and lower them to ground level.
From Burton Dassett they will be taken to one of the remaining bell foundries in England, John Taylor and Sons of Loughborough, where the stocks and hangings will be refurbished by craftsmen ready to be returned good as new in March 2024 ready for rehanging in the bell tower.
