by Alan Quick

OPEN days were held at St Andrew’s Church at Colebrooke on Saturday and Sunday, November 18 and 19 to give local people and visitors the rare opportunity to see the church’s six bells before they were transported away for restoration.

The bells had been lowered into the ringing chamber as part the Colebrooke Church Bells Restoration Project.

The Parochial Church Council was recently awarded a £35,000 funding boost from SUEZ Communities Trust (formerly SITA Trust) for the work.

St Andrew’s Church is Grade I listed and has one of the heaviest peals of six bells in Devon.

The bells date back as far as 1627 and are still rung every Sunday, as well as for weddings and special occasions.

The team of church bellringers at the church said it had become increasingly difficult to ring the bells and a professional survey conducted in 2016 recommended complete restoration and re-hanging of the bells, which requires the bells to be removed and transported to a foundry.

This project will repair and refurbish the existing peal of six bells.

The undertaking will involve scaffolding the tower, replacing the existing headstocks on the removed bells.  All bell fittings and bearings will be replaced and the bell frame repaired before the bells are rehung.

Fred Oliver, who is chairing the committee set up to achieve the restoration, said that in addition to the funding from the Suez Communites Trust significant donations of more than £15,000 had come from the local community and others as well as some other smaller grants.

He added: “We are pleased to have appointed Whites of Appleton, a company of specialist bell-hangers, to undertake the restoration. They will be rehung in April 2018.”

Mr Oliver thanked all those involved in physical works with the project as well as those who helped with funding and applying for grants and added thanks to Neal Herridge, the project manager for the restoration scheme.

Many of the bells are of historical significance, some cast or recast by Thomas Pennington of Exeter between 1627 and 1664. The Pennington family has a long association with Colebrooke Parish Church and many members live locally today.

The tenor, the largest bell in the peal weighs an incredible 18cwt, which is large for a rural church.

Further donations to the project would be welcomed and if anyone can help, they are asked to please contact Fred on 01363 84419.