The bells of Morville Church, near Bridgnorth in Shropshire will ring out again after more than fifty years and this time they will be bigger and better.
Bells were first hung in St Gregory’s Church in Morville by the Benedictine Monks who founded the church, in the 14th Century. They were satisfied with four bells then. In 1759 they were exchanged for six new bells by Abel Rudhall of Gloucester. Unfortunately the new bell frame used the timber from the medieval frame and shortly after ringing for the coronation in 1953, it was condemned as unsafe.
“The fact that the bells were allowed to lie derelict for so long was not that the parish didn’t want to ring them, but it is the usual sorry tale of there always being far more urgent calls on scarce church money, and the bells were a luxury that Morville could no longer afford,” said the new Tower Captain and Bell Project Manager, Ian Rowe. “Then when we started to think about restoring we realized we no longer had any ringers!”
The tower was strengthened in 2001 with the help of a sixty thousand pound grant (£60,000) from English Heritage with fundraising starting with a vengeance in 2007. A new modern metal frame was agreed which offered the opportunity to have a full peal of eight bells. Nicholson Engineering in Dorset got the job of making the new frame while the bells were cast and tuned at Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London.
In the meantime, a small band of new ringers were being trained by the local district ringing master and other local ringers. “I doubt that he ever imagined that he was signing up for a two and a half year commitment, but they all stuck with us, and on Friday May 22nd 2009 were at Morville to share that special first ring,” said Ian. “Some of them also gave very generously of their time to join the volunteer local labour force that worked to install it all.”
The bells have been tested carefully since they arrived home and are now ready for regular use. The dedication service for the bells is at St Gregory’s Church on June 14th when the Bishop of Hereford, Anthony Priddis has been invited, with a reception for 150 people to follow.
To complete the celebrations of the restoration, on the evening of Midsummer’s Day, June 24th, a peal attempt will be made by invited members of the Hereford Diocesan Guild of Bellringers. They will attempt a brand new method which if successful will be officially registered as “Morville Delight Major”.
Note to editors:
jpeg pictures of Morville Church and one of the 8 bells on the ground when they arrived are available on request from Anni Holden.
Technical info: The eight bells range in weight from the new treble at just over 4 cwt, to the tenor, with an F# keynote, which is now just over 8 cwt after tuning and removal of canons.