Please help us to keep a cherished village tradition alive
The bell restoration committee are raising £12,000 on behalf of St Peter’s Parish Church, West Lydford to repair and restore the church bells.
St Peter’s Church, nestled in the heart of West Lydford, Somerset, is calling on the support of friends, neighbours and local businesses to help safeguard one of the village’s most treasured traditions—the ringing of its historic church bells. Since Elizabethan times, these bells have marked moments of joy, sorrow, and celebration, weaving themselves into the fabric of village life. Today, urgent restoration is needed to prevent them from falling silent.
The bells, which have echoed through countless weddings, services, and special occasions, now require essential repairs. Without community intervention, this tradition faces an uncertain future.
To ensure the bells continue to ring out for generations to come, St Peter’s Church must raise £12,000 to fund vital restoration work.
Donations of any size are gratefully received. Every contribution brings us closer to our goal and helps safeguard the future of St Peter’s bells for generations to come.
We would also be deeply grateful if you could share this appeal with others who may wish to help. Your generosity will make a lasting difference to West Lydford’s community spirit and traditions.
It is our intention to acknowledge everyone who can contribute to our fundraising appeal in a commemorative roll of honour, which will have pride of place by the belltower steps in the church. This will serve as a lasting tribute to all those who help secure the future sound of St Peter’s bells for generations to come.
If you would like to donate, please visit our JustGiving page. Or scan this qr code with a smartphone or tablet:
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. All donations will be paid into St Peter’s Church bell restoration fund. (registered charity number locate number 12345678)
For further details, please contact:
Ralph Berry, St Peter’s Church Warden
Tel: 07530 296885
ralphberry@btinternet.com
Kevin Rowbottom
Tel: 07813455676
kevinrowbottom@hotmail.com
A brief history of the bells at St Peter’s West Lydford
The oldest bell in the church is Elizabethan dating back to 1587. The bells numbered four until 1911 when John Warner and Sons of London augmented them to six and hung them in a new cast-iron and stell bell frame with entirely new ringing fittings.
The design of the bell frame quickly proved unsatisfactory, having been laid out with all six bells swinging north-south, with all the foundation joists also running north-south, all in a structurally weak tower.
Various attempts were made to stabilise the bell frame and tower including encasing the lower third of the bell frame in concrete which was poured between the frame and the tower walls. The bells were rehung with new bearings sometime post WW11.
Eventually concerns about the structural integrity of the tower grew to the point where all ringing was stopped.As part of a much wider restoration of the tower Nicholson Engineering were contracted to rehang the bells with their original 1911 fittings in a completely new bell frame designed to more evenly distribute the dynamic loads to the tower structure. The work was undertaken in the summer and autumn of 2000 and the bells were rung for the first time on 15th December.
Bells
The tower houses a peal of six bells, the details of which are given below:
| Bell | Diameter | Weight (cwt) | Note | Cast | Founder |
| Treble | 30.25″ | 5 | D | 1911 | John Warner & Sons |
| 2nd | 31.00″ | 5 ½ | C | 1911 | John Warner & Sons |
| 3rd | 33.75″ | 6 ¾ | Bb | 1607 | Richard Purdue |
| 4th | 36.75″ | 8 | A | 1587 | Unknown |
| 5th | 39.25″ | 10 | G | 1605 | Richard Purdue |
| Tenor | 44.00″ | 13 ¾ | F | 1698 | Thomas Purdue |
The 3rd 4th and 5th bells are listed for preservation by the Church Buildings Council.
The weights of the bells are given in hundred weights