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Bells ring across England
Issued: 17 February 2009
Birthday Bells will be heard across England from 2pm on Saturday 21 February as over 70 Churches chime together for the Birthday Bells Appeal, the start of the nationwide, year long 40th birthday celebrations of the Churches Conservation Trust. The charity cares for England’s finest historic churches no longer required for regular worship. Highlights of some of the participating churches include the Church with the UK’s most important collection of alabaster effigies and one of the most outstanding example of a Norman church in the country through to churches linked to bloody Civil War battles, ransom demands and dramatic moments in local history around the country. [These churches are detailed below.]
BELLS RING ACROSS ENGLAND AS HISTORIC CHURCHES APPEALTO COMMUNITIES FOR USE
These historic buildings will ring, chime and peal (a full peal lasts three hours) their bells celebrating their place in the heart of communities across England and encouraging people to seek them out. All events are FREE and suitable for all ages. Details of all participating churches can be found at www.visitchurches.org.uk
Ancient Bells On Your Mobile
Ancient bells can also boom on your mobile! The 110 year old bells at St. John The Baptist Church, Avon Dassett, Warwickshire will ring for the first time in 30 years on Saturday. The Churches Conservation Trust is recording the bells to create unique ring tone download for mobile phones – a modern must for conservation lovers and technology fans alike. The bells are able to ring thanks to the restored bell tower, completed via a £700,000 restoration project from the Churches Conservation Trust. Ring tone download details at: www.visitchurches.org.uk.
Loyd Grossman OBE, Chairman, the Churches Conservation Trust, said: “The Birthday Bells Appeal will see historic churches across the UK opening up and ringing their bells to invite people to rediscover and enjoy these ancient, special places, in the heart of their communities. The Charity’s historic churches are a quintessential feature of our English towns and countryside, but they are at risk. If cared for correctly they can provide contemporary spaces for everyone to enjoy whilst also preserving and celebrating these great buildings for future generations. The aim of the Birthday Bells Appeal is to enable people to discover historic churches near to them and find out how these spaces can be enjoyed and used all year round. The Appeal is just the start of our 40th year and I look forward to our celebrations across England to raise awareness of the importance of saving our historic churches.”
The Churches Conservation Trust’s 40th birthday celebrations will highlight the unique importance of the 340 historic churches cared for by the Trust and encourage people to visit, appreciate and enjoy the unique experiences these churches can provide. The charity’s work is bringing churches back into the heart of the community, protecting their historical significance and opening them up to local communities for wider use from nursery groups to circus schools. Anyone can use the charity’s churches for their use. However, the Churches Conservation Trust urgently needs support and donations to continue its work. Example churches at risk include:
An inspiration for Charles Dickens: St Mary’s, Higham, Kent: Set on the edge of the Kent marshes, the church was the inspiration for the opening chapter of Dickens’ Great Expectations and is located in the village where the author lived and worked. The church needs considerable conservation work including plastering, redecoration and improved electrics to show off its beauty to the large numbers of people visiting. The local community hopes to hold events that celebrate its links to Dickens but can only do this if work is done to improve the presentation of the church. Christ the Consoler, Skelton Cum Newby, North Yorkshire: Probably the Trust’s most magnificent church. It is an extravagant memorial to Frederick Vyner, who was murdered aged 23, in 1870. Frederick was kidnapped in Greece during his Grand Tour and held for ransom. The money was raised by his family, but tragically did not reach his captors in time and young Frederick was murdered. His heartbroken mother used the ransom money to commission William Burges, to build the church in his memory. The Church needs a heating system in order to maintain a constant temperature that will prevent further deterioration of the very rare hand-painted stained glass.
Birthday Bells Appeal: Example Churches Taking Part:
Over 70 churches across the UK are taking part; opening their doors to provide unparalleled opportunities for local people to not only see and hear ancient bells being rung but also explore these unique historic spaces at the heart of their community. Details of all participating churches can be found at www.visitchurches.org.uk. All events are FREE. Examples include:
St. John The Baptist Church, Avon Dassett, Warwickshire: will ring its bells for the first time in 30 years, providing people with the opportunity to hear the 110-year-old bells and see the restored tower, completed recently via a £700,000 restoration project from the Churches Conservation Trust. All Saints, Harewood, West Yorkshire: This spectacular 15th Century Church houses one of the nation’s most important collections of alabaster effigies. Six pairs of intricately carved tomb effigies illustrate the development of the art of alabaster carving for which England became famed throughout Europe. The Harewood House Trust is working in partnership with the Churches Conservation Trust to make the church an integral part of the Harewood Estate experience.
St Leonard-at-the-Hythe, Colchester, Essex: This 15th century church has a battle scared history, its medieval door was disfigured by bullet holes and the butts of soldiers’ muskets during the civil war. St Peter's, Northampton: Is one of the most outstanding Norman church in the county. Its Norman capitals of 1150 – created almost 900 years ago - are richly and beautifully carved with faces and foliage, birds and beasts and decorative motifs. The church also houses a 14th century font, a 12th century grave slab with astonishingly clear relief carving and some fine Victorian stained glass.
ENDS