The focus for our project is the bells and frame of St Nicholas Church, Little Horwood, Buckinghamshire. The church is Grade II* listed and is situated in the heart of the village. The west tower dates from the C15 and is in three stages with an embattled parapet. The style is Perpendicular and the tower is built of dressed stone with what Pevsner and Williamson describe as “uncommonly large ashlar blocks”. Bells have been rung at St Nicholas since 1552 and a new ring of five were cast in 1672 with 2 of the original ring still in situ. The remaining 3 bells were recast in 1793, 1895 and 1934 respectively.
Our predecessors kept the bells ringing over the years, however, today the bells are no longer able to be rung. A report on the bell frame compiled by expert Chris Pickford, identified the frame as badly decayed particularly in the northern truss. In addition we received advice from the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) .This advice and guidance has told us that the bells need to be removed to the foundry, and rehung on a new frame- one bell needs to be replaced and this is an opportunity to augment the ring to a more usual 6. Based on the advice received, we obtained the necessary faculty. We also obtained detailed advice and quotations from 3 bell hanging companies, including Whites of Appleton with whom we plan to contract for the bell hanging part of the project.
We will research the bell history and people inscribed on them to create a physical and digital resource enabling access for all today and tomorrow.
As part of planning for our project we surveyed the local community to be sure the community as a whole was as passionate as we are about saving our bells. The survey was anonymous to ensure people could say how the felt.
There is massive local support – we have received substantial pledges from those within the local community as well as terrific support at fundraising events. In addition a village survey showed that 96% want to hear the bells ring again. St Nicholas is used regularly for church services and key community occasions- christenings, weddings and funerals. A dedicated team of volunteers help to maintain the church- flower arrangers, cleaners and church yard duties. There is an existing band of bell ringers, who are currently unable to keep the tradition of bell ringing alive in Little Horwood.
Our fundraising work has included successful applications to several grant making bodies. Some of the grants already received are time limited and consequently there is an urgent need to secure the minimum funding in order to commission the work.
We plan to record each stage of the project with pictures, film clips and updates via social media, email and the village website.
When the bells are installed there will be much celebration within the community including a dedication service and open tower events.
Once refurbished, the bells will be particularly suitable for children as they will be a light set of six and will be easy to handle for beginners. In addition this project offers the opportunity to install a simulator which will allow learners to practice ringing without the bells being heard outside the church. So far as we are aware there is no simulator currently in the local area, and we hope be a mini hub for the Association of Ringing Teachers (ART) ‘learning the ropes’ scheme.
There will outreach to local schools and university as well as open tower days to recruit and train new ringers.
This project will secure the bells and tomorrow’s generation of ringers. Without it, these bells will never be rung again.
Beneficiaries
Key beneficiaries will include those people who make up the local community, 96% of whom when surveyed want to hear the bells ring out again.
Other beneficiaries include the Little Horwood band of bell ringers, new and returning ringers learning the art of bell ringing, learners from other towers taking advantage of the newly installed simulator, visiting bell ringers from the local area as well as elsewhere in the UK. In addition, open tower events will attract visitors.
The global bell ringing community and others will benefit by being able to follow progress of the project online and via social media as well as accessing the digital resources created throughout the duration of the project.
During the course of the project, we estimate 150 visitors to the tower and estimate a further 1000 engaged online.
End of Project
The tower defects that allowed the ingress of water as well as bird infestation were remedied 15 years ago so it is now watertight and birds can no longer gain access. Regular routine maintenance will continue to be carried out by the Tower Captain, assisted by others. The bell ringing band will continue to practice weekly, with separate learner sessions, and ring for regular church services as well as key community occasions- weddings, christenings and funerals.
Outcomes
Overall, success will be evident to all when the band rings at the dedication service.
The very existence and operation of the project means that significant numbers will have engaged as a direct consequence- whether by volunteering, donating, learning to ring, following the progress online or in person while the works are in progress – viewing the bells on removal and when returned to the church, as well as visiting the foundry. Once the project is completed, open tower days, new learners, returning ringers, visiting ringers, visiting learners using the simulator (there is no other simulator in the local area so far as we are aware) as well as a wide range of visitors to the website.
The bells of St Nicholas have been ringing for hundreds of years. Today there is little understanding of the actual art of bell ringing-with this project we hope to involve a much wider section of the community targeting the younger members locally and the surrounding area. This will ensure the art of bell ringing is sustained for the generations of tomorrow.