St Mary Magdalene
New Bells for Richmond
raised of £240,000 target
- April 2026 -
Red hot and ready for action
At a scorching temperature of 1100 degrees centigrade, one of Richmond’s new bells is poured into a mould, straight from the furnace. The rich orange molten mixture of copper and tin, will take at least two days to cool – longer for heavier bells - before it can be released from its sand packed casing to reveal the shining metal of a new bell.
The technique of bell making has changed little over the centuries and when a group of Richmond ringers went in April to the bell foundry at Asten in Holland to see their bells being cast, they felt they were stepping back in time. Computerisation now plays a part in the process, most specifically in tuning, but making church bells for change ringing is a craft that goes back 500 years.
The New Bells for Richmond campaign has raised two thirds of its £240,000 target and that was enough to order and pay for five bells from the Royal Eijsbouts foundry.
Our fund raising continues. Please support us at crowdfunder.co.uk/new-bells-for-richmond
One they made earlier - Jo Kitson admires the bell with her name , a generous sponsorship by her husband Dave.
- May 2026 -
The Mayor and a Morris dancer had a go at ringing
Hundreds of visitors to the Richmond May Fair, including the Mayor Penny Frost, enjoyed their first experience of bell ringing on the mobile belfry set up on the Green. This was the first time the sound of bells had been added to the event’s attractions and it was voted a big hit.
Richmond ringers, supported by other local ringers, provided tuition and encouragement as a steady flow of adults and children lined up to have a go at ringing.
Each hour the regular ringers gave a demonstration of rounds or change ringing and we hope that some of the people who came will want to pursue bell ringing as a hobby and a traditional skill.
We collected more than £200 for the New Bells for Richmond campaign, although the day was less about fund raising and more of an exercise in promoting ringing, especially to young people.
Roger Booth, chairman of the Mobile Belfries Trust, supervised the assembly of the ringing tower.
Now 'Donald Trump' joins our celebrity supporters
The brilliant Rory Bremner has taken time out from preparing his new British tour to send us a message from the American president.
The satirist and impressionist joins a growing list of high profile people who are helping the fund raising campaign for New Bells for Richmond.
Here we get Donald Trump’s take on behalf of St Mary Magdalene parish church. It comes with an invitation to visit crowdfunder.co.uk/new-bells-for-richmond where donations can be made. The new bells are due to be installed in time for Christmas.
Rory Bremner is touring Making an Impression from May 10 to June 6.
We thank everyone for their support
The bells of St Mary Magdalene, Richmond have rung out their last Christmas. Fund raising for a new set of bells passed the half-way point in December and in January 2026 the order for five new bells was placed. We expect the old bells will be taken out of the tower in the summer and the new ones will go in before the end of the year.
The Richmond ringers are immensely grateful for every contribution as they enter the next stage of their campaign.
The target is £240,000 and if that is surpassed it will be possible to refurbish the ringing room and restore the historic peal boards that record ringing feats going back to the 18th century.
New bells are needed because the old ones are mostly clapped out. Happily, the three oldest bells, cast in 1680, are the best quality in the tower so that link to history will survive as they retain their place alongside five new ones to produce a more tuneful ring of eight.
The new bells have been made by Royal Eijsbouts, the world’s largest foundry, at their works in Asten, Holland. This is the company that made the Olympic bell for the 2012 London Olympic Games and the 6-ton bell Marie, made to celebrate the 850th anniversary of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.
Crucially, the new bells will be easier to ring, giving learners the opportunity to flourish so that St Mary Magdalene can play its part in securing the art of ringing for centuries to come.