Campaign to restore Castle Bromwich bells gathers momentum.

AS part of this weekend’s Castle Bromwich Heritage Festival, we scaled the heights of St Mary and St Margaret’s Church and got a closer look at the bells which are part of a £100,000 restoration project.

When we reach the top of the winding stairs we’re shown the ropes – quite literally.

The members of the church bellringing team point out the cords that hang down from the ceiling. Today our tour guides are going to teach us how to toll. This is the art of swinging the bell slightly from side-to-side.

People approach the ropes with slight trepidation. For some of the visitors, memories may come to mind of the Mars Bars advert – in which a band of monks are carried all the way to the ceiling by some particularly rigorous ringing.

This isn’t as fanciful as it sounds. The heaviest of the bells – the tenor – weighs around half a ton and the six bells together are something over a ton (the same weight as a Mini).

Fortunately no-one gets carried away today, as we take it in turns to make the bells ring out. Dan Harris, the youngest bell captain in Birmingham, demonstrates the technique. Do it right and you’re rewarded with a deep dong from up above.

CLAPPED OUT: The bells were last recast in 1952 and need
a complete refurbishment.

To keep the pealing going takes timing and co-ordination, it’s also good exercise. Although Dan admits that a few beers after a Wednesday night practise session probably puts the calories back on. A quick trip to the pub is apparently an old tradition in bell ringing circles.

“We get to ring bells in churches all around the country,” says Dan, when asked about the appeal of pealing for someone his age. “And drink in a few pubs too!”

The bells sound out for Sunday service and weddings, although they have also been rung to mark special events such as the London Olympics, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and to usher in the new Millennium.

After a quick look at the Medieval roofspace, we’re taken up another set of steps (it’s quite a squeeze) and into the belfry itself. There aren’t any bats at the moment, but the wind whistles through the bricks and you can see trees thrashing about on the other side of the narrow grill.

The bells themselves are something to behold. Bill Dargue, who has been part of the team for more than 30 years, says the chimes can be heard over a mile away and when they sound out, you can feel the reverberations run down through the whole tower. This is apparently a good thing, if the structure didn’t sway it could snap, but it’s still not a comforting thought when you’re halfway up a set of rough cut steps which date from the 1700s.

It’s then up the final winding flight to the top of the tower, stooping to get through a rather low doorway. The view is incredible, you can see all the way to Birmingham city centre, with the Rotunda and Post Office tower, and out in other directions to the distant spires of Coleshill and Yardley.

VIEW: You can see for miles from the top of the tower at
St Mary and St Margaret's

It’s then time to descend the 99 steps back down to the ground. Ben Sassons, another of the younger bellringers, jokes that his suggestion for a slide had been vetoed. Although you shouldn’t expect this addition any time soon, as it turns out there are still some ambitious plans for this historic tower…

Ringing the changes: Church bell appeal

Earlier this year, the team set up a charitable trust to restore the ringers to their former glory.

When the bells were recast in 1952, the firm who did the job was on the verge of bankruptcy and many materials were reused from the early 18th century installation rather than being replaced.

Consequently time has taken its toll and now the bells need a complete refurbishment. The trust has also revived an old proposal for two new treble bells - this was the original intention when the last work was carried out 60 years ago, but the plan was shelved.

It’s hoped that the campaign can raise £100,000 and that the eight new bells can be in place in time for 2017 – the 300^th anniversary of Bridgeman’s bells being hung.

If you can help, donations should be made payable to the Castle Bromwich Bell Restoration Fund, send cheques to 42, Chester Road, B36 6BU. Or visit their website.