First official ring for the refurbished bells of Ruthin

The newly refurbished church bells in Ruthin are ringing out once again across the town.

The peal of eight, which date from the mid-nineteenth century, were rung for a special Sunday morning service to celebrate their restoration yesterday (Sunday 8 September).

The service, attended by the Lord Lieutenant of Clwyd, Henry Fetherstonhaugh, the MP for the Vale of Clwyd, David Jones, the Mayor of Ruthin Cllr Gavin Harris and the Deputy Mayor Cllr Heather Williams as well as other civic dignitaries, also celebrated repair works to the church’s medieval roof.

Almost £200,000 of National Lottery funding has supported the restoration of the roof and the refurbishment of the bell tower, projects totalling more than £300,000.

St Peter’s Church is a Grade I double nave church dating from the 13th century.  It has a long and eminent history including associations with Gabriel Goodman, Dean of Westminster Abbey, who was born in Ruthin and contributed to the translation of the Bible into Welsh.

The Warden of St Peter’s Church, the Revd Stuart Evans, who led the service of celebration said: “I am delighted to see that the many years of hard work and fund-raising means our magnificent medieval ceiling is now preserved for future generations and our church bells can be rung regularly for services, weddings and civic occasions.

“St Peter’s has a long and important history in the town of Ruthin and the bell tower is an iconic landmark on the skyline along the Vale of Clwyd.  After almost a year without the bells, it’s a pleasure to hear them being rung again.

“The sound of the bells offers an invitation to anyone to join us for a service or spend time saying a prayer, lighting a candle or reflecting on life.  The bells can signify moments of joy or times of sorrow and can be used to convey important sentiments at times of National occasion. The bells can be an invitation to all who hear to consider Life’s big questions – including questions of faith.”

Archives show that “a great bell” has been rung at St Peter’s since at least 1654 and by 1788 the church had a peal of six.  These were replaced in 1843 and two new treble bells added in 1889, to make a peal of eight.  By the 1970s rumours that the church spire was structurally unsafe, stopped the bells being run regularly.  Until the bells were removed for restoration in November 2018, only the curfew bell was rung weekly, a reminder of its role in the medieval period when the town’s gates were closed at 8pm.

All eight bells have been restored at Taylor’s Foundry in Loughborough and fitted into a purpose-built steel frame inside the newly refurbishment bell tower.  The ringing room has been renovated and updated to modern safety standards.

The coordinator of the bells project, Jennifer Trigger said: “This has been a very important project for the town and we’re delighted to be celebrating the official first ring of the bells.

“Much of the work was carried out by volunteers who gave so freely of their time and skills, under the supervision of Taylor’s, throughout the project.

“We conducted numerous tours of the tower yesterday as part of the Ruthin Open Doors Festival and we hope to encourage more people to visit and take up the challenge of ringing the bells.

“Thanks to the North Wales Association of Church Bell Ringers we’re starting a programme to train a new generation of bell ringers for the town.  Everyone from the age of 10 upwards can join the band and we welcome new members to our bell practice sessions.

“During the service we also unveiled the people’s choice for the new logo for bell-ringing in the town.  Prize winning entries from all three local primary schools were exhibited at the prestigious Ruthin Craft Centre and all those attending were invited to vote for their favourite. The winning “Lottie” bell logo, designed by Emily Debicka from Rhos Street School, has been forged into bright lapel badges and this ‘Lottie’ will be the face encouraging the next generation of bell-ringers.”

Bell-ringing practice takes place on Wednesday evenings at St Peter’s Church from 6pm – 7.30pm.

Information about activities, events and services at St Peter’s Church and others around Ruthin can be found on the ‘St. Peter’s, St. Meugan’s and St. Mwrog’s – Ruthin Group of Churches’ Facebook page.

ENDS

About St Peter’s Collegiate Church

St Peter’s is in the centre of Ruthin and is part of the Dyffryn Clwyd Mission Area in the Diocese of St Asaph, one of six dioceses making up the Church in Wales.  Follow us on facebook StAsaphDiocese and twitter @stasaphdiocese

About the Heritage Lottery Fund

Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) aims to make a lasting difference for heritage, people and communities across the UK and help build a resilient heritage economy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage.  www.hlf.org.uk  Follow us on facebook HLFWales and Twitter @HLFCymru