A HISTORIC set of Hampshire church bells are again safely ringingout after a vital restoration.
Specialists have repaired the components of the eight bells at St John’s church in Alresford and last Friday (FEB10) replaced them back in the tower.
The work has been completed only a year after a public appeal was launched to raise £13,000. Some £8,000 was raised at a sell-out classical concert in the church last year.
Bell captain Elizabeth Johnson said: “The bells will now ring safely for many years to come. If we hadn’t done this work the components would have broken and it would have been much more expensive. So this is a stitch in time.
“We haven’t done anything to the tuning of the bells. It is the mechanics of the swing.
“It is a real privilege to be part of history. These bells have been ringing for 201 years.”
The bells were rung again on Sunday.
It means the repairs have been completed in time for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Previous restorations have also coincided with Royal landmarks including Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897 and in 1936 to mark George V’s silver jubilee in 1935.
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