Goudhurst Bellringers

28/07/2026

08/06/2026

Having had our bells recently rehung by Nicholsons Engineering, St Mary's Church was delighted to host the Tonbridge District Practice. Sixteen ringers from the district came along to give our bells a workout !. Ringing covered all abilities ranging from Stedman Triples, Plain Bob Triples, PH on 7 to Rounds/Call Changes. We had a couple of visitors from the US pop in to see what we were up to - and a scout troop climbed the tower to find out more too !. Our thanks to everyone who came along !. If you're interested in finding out more about bell ringing - please get in touch.

31/05/2026

Here are some more pictures of our Goudhurst bells from our recent overhaul by Nicholson Engineering.

The video shows the third-smallest bell in the tower being raised by hand by Neil, Nicholson’s bellhanger. This bell was cast in 1776 by master bell founders Thomas Pack and William Chapman at the famous Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London. Although this is one of our smaller bells, it still weighs almost a third of a tonne. As you can hear, the clapper hasn't been refitted yet; Neil is checking that the bell runs smoothly on its new bearings.

31/05/2026

Goudhurst Bellringers were delighted to ring for our first Sunday service at St Mary’s Church this morning since our wonderful bells were rehung by Nicholson Engineering. It is quite a few months since our neighbours in Goudhurst have heard all eight bells ringing out across the village on a Sunday morning and we have already had lots of great feedback telling us how much the bells were enjoyed.

Please do get in touch if you’d like to learn a little more about ringing, or if you’d just like to come and see what in involved in this ancient tradition.

26/05/2026

Today, on the hottest day of the year so far, Nicholson Engineering and volunteer steeple keepers from our neighbouring towers were busy rehanging the eight magnificent bells in St Mary’s church tower, Goudhurst.

This project began back in April, when the bells—the largest weighing almost 1.2 tonnes—were hoisted from their massive oak frame. All of the clappers and bearing blocks were then transported to Bridport in Dorset for expert refurbishment. By the end of this week, we hope the bells will be safely back in their frame, completing their first major maintenance in fifty years.

Our tower holds a rich history; the oldest bells were originally cast in 1707 at London's famous Whitechapel Bell Foundry. They last underwent a major overhaul in 1972, when the Whitechapel foundry rehung them in this same frame. Please listen out for a test ring later in the week—and do get in touch if you would like to learn more about the art of bell ringing!

Thank you to Friends of St Mary’s for funding our refurbishment and to our friends from Frittenden, Lamberhurst and Staplehurst Bellringers for volunteering for this hard work on SUCH a hot day…