St Mary Magdalene
Bell Restoration Project
REPLACE AND REFURBISH
Our new bells will be installed by White’s of Appleton, a highly respected firm of bell hangers based near Abingdon, Oxfordshire.
The complex operation will involve the removal of the present bells (through a trapdoor in the porch), casting five new ones, tuning the three oldest bells, fitting the bells for ringing with wheels and headstocks and hoisting them back to the cast iron frame in the belfry. Bell metal is a bronze alloy of 77 percent copper and 23 percent tin and has been used in the same proportions for hundreds of years.
The five new bells will be made by Royal Eijsbouts, the world’s largest bell makers, 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. Fortunately, Marie survived the devastating fire in 2019 that almost wrecked the landmark building.
“Notre-Dame de Paris – Les nouvelles cloches – 001” by Thesupermat, CC BY-SA 3.0
When the new bells arrive at White’s they and the three 1680 bells, made by James Bartlet at Whitechapel, will be tuned in the key of G. This is a process of shaving away some of the metal to achieve a perfect octave. The Bartlet bells were well made and there is plenty of excess metal to facilitate tuning into the new ring.
The images below show of one of our Bartlet bells, (our no. 7), that will become the new tenor
The finished bells will be on display at Appleton before being transported to Richmond where they will also be laid out for viewing and a blessing. The work is scheduled for completion by autumn 2026.
Once the new bells are in place, the four obsolete bells will be kept in the church to stimulate interest in bell ringing.
The bells will be displayed on movable plinths so they can be moved as required. One of the bells will be stored in the clock room. The display will include information about bells and bellringing and the history of the Richmond bells.
Professional quality recordings have also been made to preserve the sound of the old bells. Listen to a sample of our bells in action below!
