MORVILLE’S church bells will be ringing out again later this month for the first time in more 50 years. Six bells at St Gregory the Great have been restored and two more cast to complete a £90,000 project.
The eight bells arrived at the church on Tuesday after the work carried out by specialist firm Nicholson Engineering of Bridport in Dorset.
Morville bell group secretary and PCC project manager Ian Rowe said the bells had last rung for the wedding of his parents, Pat and Arthur Rowe in 1954.
“They will be going back up today at the earliest and ringing again for a wedding on May 23,” explained Ian Rowe. “The supporting steelwork frame has to go up first. I am looking forward to hearing them ring for the first time. Everyone has missed them over the years.”
Morville has a team of bellringers who have been ringing at churches in the area ready for the big day.
Villagers contributed one third of the cost of the restoration through donations and fundraising. The largest of the grants came from the SITA Trust who distribute funds from the Landfill Tax scheme, while other contributions came from the Big Lottery Fund via the Awards for All scheme, the Hereford Diocese Guild of Bellringers, the Garfield Weston Foundation, Shropshire Historic Churches Trust, The Ironmongers¹ Company and the Foundation for Sport and the Arts which is funded by Littlewoods Pools.
“Many other grant-making groups made smaller, but equally appreciated contributions to our project and we are eternally indebted to them for helping to restore our bells,” said Mr Rowe.
It is 250 years since 1759 when the Morville villagers residents replaced their four medieval bells with a new peal of six.