The Bells

For 10 years after its completion, the octagonal drum and spire of the Church tower remained empty. It is said that the impetus for a collection for a peal of bells came in a visit by Prime Minister William Gladstone, during which he remarked: “So noble a Church tower as this should not be silent.” 

Made in England by Taylors of Loughborough at a cost of £1,100 the bells vary in weight from 356 kg to 1,416 kg. Hung between 1880 and 1881, the bells have been rung regularly ever since, barring a sojourn to England in 1950 for tuning.

In an age of automation, our bells are still rung manually every Sunday morning, by the Bell Ringing Team and occasionally by visiting teams of bellringers from further afield. 

Each year at midnight on 31^st December, the bells are rung to welcome a New Year. 

Described as one of the finest peals in the whole of Great Britain and Ireland, the ringing of bells at Christ Church would impress the most discerning campanologist.