Barham church bells ring out after 74-year silence

Church bells which fell silent more than 70 years ago are pealing once more following a £79,000 restoration.

The last time bells were rung at Barham parish church was in 1947, according to tower captain Paul Corbett.

He said the four original Tudor and Stuart bells had become "a bit dilapidated and the medieval wooden frame that held them was woodwormy".

As well as having repairs done, St Mary and St Peter Church commissioned two new bells to create a ring of six.

The oldest bell dated to 1587 and had a large chip in it while others had cracks.

They have now been restored and retuned.

The church, near Ipswich, is still fundraising for the project.

"It's been incredibly tricky particularly with Covid being the way it has been," Mr Corbett said.

"I've currently got something in the region of 13 grant applications being considered, but I have now seen some good signs hopefully funds are going to come rolling in."

On the bells pealing again, Mr Corbett said: "I think it does feel special, to begin services, to end services and completes the church in terms of a community spirit.

"They're also there for the wider community to use and we hope people will use the bells for weddings in the future."

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