In 2024 St Mary’s completed a major project to restore and upgrade its church bells, culminating in a service of dedication conducted by the Rt. Rev Robert Springett, Bishop of Tewkesbury, on Sunday October 27th.
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You can see how the project all came together, with pictures of the bells before, during and after the restoration in this flip book presentation:
Our Ring Out the Bells facebook page has recorded some of the key milestones of the project too (and highlights some of our other initiatives since). It includes the first major peel of the bells (5152 Cambridge Surprise Major rung in 3 hours and I minute) which took place of our Celebration day on August 25th 2024.
On April 21st 2025, to celebrate Easter weekend, a ringing team rang another major peel of the bells, this time 5184 Bristol Surprise Major in 2 hours 57 minutes.
Introduction
Did you know that Norton is mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book, and that it appears that there has been a church community on the hill at Norton as far back as the 12th century?! Our community goes back a very long way!
The village of Norton is dissected by the A38 with Prior’s Norton, where the church stands, on one side, and Bishop’s Norton on the other.
St Mary’s has an international claim to fame in Wikipedia as the “disappearing church” because it seems to “disappear” as people drive or walk along along the A38. But, of course, it has never disappeared! It has stood as a guardian and a beacon above our village for many hundreds of years.
This ancient and precious place has been there and witnessed the great events in world history – the ravages of Henry VIII, the English Civil War and the beheading of a monarch, the coronations and reigns of many kings and queens, the emancipation of slaves, the industrial revolution, the struggles of the Suffragettes, the Battle of Waterloo, the Russian Revolution, the Great Depression, the devastation of two World Wars, the first man on the moon, BREXIT, not to mention the many scandals of modern day life! We could go on for ever …!
But, through all of this history, St Mary’s and its bells has stood tall on the hill always being there when people have come together for the important moments and events in their lives – baptisms, weddings, funerals as well as for Sunday services, church and village gatherings and national commemorations. Parts of the Church date back to the mid 1200’s and as our 800th birthday approaches, in these rapidly changing times, we are determined to value and respect this great community legacy.
The Bells
Big events in the country and people’s lives have been marked by the pealing of the Bells of St Mary’s.
The history of our bells goes back hundreds of years …..
- In 1685 a ring of 6 bells (cast by Abraham Rudhall I, down the road in Gloucester) was installed.
- Later in 1711 and 1735 some re-casts were installed (probably due to cracking).
- Then in 1930: Bond of Burford recast the (now) 5th bell and subcontracted a further recast to Gillet and Johnson
- Also in 1930 the bells were re-hung on partly new fittings and new wooden frame
- In 1935 two other bells were added
Since then, our rare peal of eight bells have rung out over our community and attracted bell ringers nationwide. However, our bells, like all of us, can’t escape the wear and tear of the years! After over 90 years since the bells have had any major repair, inspections showed that work was urgently required to save the bells and make them fit for future generations to enjoy. They need some tender loving care urgently and, at the same time, we can use the opportunity to make some hugely beneficial improvements to the tower of the Church.
In 2020 it became clear that major work was required if Norton’s bells were going to continue to be safely used. The bell frame was moving, there was corroding metalwork, decaying wood, and some bells were in urgent need of repair and retuning.
The Project
When we considered these issues it was inspiring to remember that almost every generation has made its mark on this church. People have loved this building, taken care of it and wanted it to thrive. Responding to these bell problems was our chance to make our mark in our time, to celebrate the commitment of our predecessors, to add to the life of the church today and prepare it for the future. So, in 2022 we established our ‘Ring out the Bells’ appeal and the project began in earnest. The dedication service on October 27th 2024 was the culmination of an adventure of faith, a quest to restore our bells and bell frame and to upgrade the bell ringing chamber.
Of course, this project didn’t happen without huge commitment, sacrifice and dedication by many people. We thank them all! In particular we acknowledge the support of the many volunteers who gave who gave their skills and time so generously – the equivalent of 135 days of work! There are too many people to mention, but we especially thank: Simon Ridley (Leader) Rebecca Ridley, Mike Seagrave, Nick Hopkins, Phil Cotton, Malcolm Taylor, Kirsty Gifford, Jeremy Alford, Euan Thomas, Robert Howes, Hilda Ridley, Simon and Angela Dann, Mike and Emma Skidmore, Laura Finucane, James Mundy and Lucas Williams.
Their work, and that of Whites of Appleton, Bellhangers, who restored the bells and frame, was made possible by the Keltek Trust who donated a replacement bell and by the many people who contributed financially. We record our sincere thanks to Enovert Community Trust, Gloucester and Bristol Diocesan Association of Church Bellringers, The Garfield Weston Foundation, the Gloucester Historic Churches Trust and the Benefact Trust. Also to the very many personal donors whose support was absolutely strategic – Mike Seagrave, Ivor Goulter, Hilda Ridley, Lark Briggs and many others who generously gave anonymously.
On August 25th we held a day of celebration with people joining events throughout the day to mark the completion of the project, culminating in a peal of 5152 Cambridge Surprise Major rung in 3 hours and I minute. It was a wonderful launch for our restored bells now hung in the restored and strengthened bell frame. One of the original 1685 bells had to be replaced with a bell donated by the Keltek Trust, but it has been retained as a chiming bell, hung within the tower but not within the bell frame. As part of the celebration Rev Joe read his poem ‘The Bells Come Home to Norton’, written especially to mark the day.
The Future
Now that the bells have been dedicated, we will be doing our very best to share the bells at Norton with as many people as we can and to embed the spirit of generosity that enabled this project in our lives going forward. When you hear the bells ring out, give thanks for the generosity of those who made this transformation possible. Think too of the individuals who, over the years, have given heart and soul to the life of this church. The bells are reminders of their love for this place and this community and an inspiration for the generations to come. But most of all, the bells are reminders that God is good, loves us all, and is always the same yesterday, today and forever. That’s a truth that resonated with us when, at the start of the works, the bells were taken out of the tower and lined up on the front path before being transported to the bell founders – someone, touching the bells, commented how they had lived through amazing times in history, in good times and bad. Yet they were still here, now restored, of course, to ring out for years to come.
If you would like to be involved in bell ringing at Norton, even if you have no experience, do get in touch. You would be most welcome!