St Mary's is a member of the Quiet Garden Trust
St Mary's Tower & Bells Fund
Bells
are used in churches to call people to worship. St Mary’s has been calling
people in this way since the time of the first Queen Elizabeth.
Eight
of our current 10 bells were installed in 1869, with two more added in 1877. The
last major overhaul was in 1928. The oak frame in which the bells are hung
began to show signs of rot and the mechanical fittings were wearing out, making
ringing increasingly difficult.
The
bells needed to be rehung in a modern steel and cast iron frame with new fixtures
and fittings. Some structural work to the tower was also necessary in order to
preserve the stonework. There was also some work done to the clock to
ensure it continued to remind the people of Beddington of the passing of time!
This was a costly project, with our beautiful and historic church needing to find up to £75,000 to allow this necessary work to take place. The figure was reduced by doing some of the work ourselves but there was still a substantial sum to raise. For more details of this project, see the article in the March 2001 Parish Magazine.
The Fund was "kick-started" during the year 2000, with money from our May Bank Holiday Flower Festival, money from the fees earned by our Ringers at weddings etc., and money raised some time ago with this sort of project in mind but before plans were formulated. With a balance by the end of 2000 of around £7,000, we were ready to start in earnest.
From 2000, fund-raising events moved apace, spearheaded by our Ringers, until by late 2004 we were able to make firm arrangements for the work to commence with the removal of the bells in January 2005.