Bellringers

At St. Thomas’ we have just one bell, but a dedicated team of ringers who have looked after the bell and clock in the tower at St. Thomas’ for the last 70 years and more.

The bell ringers’ loft was sealed off from the nave with a window depicting the sacraments in 1935. In 1926 the three old bells were melted down and re-cast into the one that is heard today.

In the earlier years they exercised great ingenuity by automating the clock-winding operation, using the wheel axles from an old pram and various scraps of angle iron to leave us with the winding mechanism we use today. On one of the many communal bell ringing occasions, the occupant of the said pram came up to the tower with her family to be reunited with it.

The current team can testify that for the last 42 years, there has not been a Sunday when the bell has not been rung. When snowfall has closed the road in winter time, members of the team would set out on foot to ensure that the bell was rung and the clock wound up. Even during the Covid period, a member would make the journey alone to ring in the hope this would give a bit of comfort to those who heard it.

The bell ringers are extremely proud of their fundraising efforts for the various Jubilee events and Ring for the King, receiving two letters from our late Queen and a letter and a photo from the King himself. All monies raised are donated to cancer related charities.

We are also the only bell tower with a record breaking CD – it has been top of the single bell charts since it was recorded.

As we approach the centenary of the installation of the new bell 1926-2026, watch out for our celebrations of this important milestone.