Malmesbury Abbey

Bells

In "Church Bells of Wiltshire", published 1929, Walters records that there were five bells in the tower of St. Paul's, Malmesbury. They were rung from the ground floor, and reported to be dirty and neglected.

However, in 1950, the ringers convinced the P.C.C. that they could embark on a fund raising project to augment the bells to 8 - this they did and their fund-raising was such as to embarrass the finances of the Abbey! A total of Ł1,385 was required, and this was soon raised, with the whole of the Abbey congregation and the Town supporting the project. The original five bells were to become numbers 4 - 8 in the present ring of eight in the rehanging of the bells by Gillett & Johnston of Croydon 1951. At augmentation to eight, the bells were tuned to the note of the 6th bell (Old 3rd). Click here to see details of the inscriptions on the bells.

At the time of the augmentation the old clock was removed to the ground floor, and a new ringing chamber created out of the old clock room. In addition, the louvre openings in the belfry were partially blocked up to mitigate the volume of noise to residents living nearby. The ring of eight bells were dedicated by the Venerable L. C. Cornwell, Archdeacon of Swindon on 14th July 1951.

The old clock mechanism (which needed winding every week!) was replaced by an electric motor soon afterwards, in 1952. The old mechanism is now on display in the Town Museum.

Visitors are always welcome to the tower, to view change ringing and the bells, but there are 97 steps to the top of the tower; 45 to the ringing chamber and a further 38 to the bell chamber. (Unfortunately, if you climb up all these steps, you are not afforded a roof-top view of Malmesbury, but you can at least view the bells!)