Walking for Bells
 

The tower of St Mary’s Parish Church, Long Preston, probably Norman at the base, is unusual in being solid.  Nevertheless, it boasts three bells dating from 1762, which were re-hung in 1887 when the clock was installed.  One bears the name of Knowles with the date 1630.  The purchase of this bell may therefore have been made using money from the Knowles bequest.  Jeremiah Harrison has his name on one of the other two bells. 

Sadly two of the bells of St Mary’s Church had to be taken out of commission in late 2006 as considerable repairs and work are now required.  There are cracks in the shoulders of the bells, and repairs are also needed to the frame.  The bells, dating from 1762, are beautifully made and rare, in that they are hung above a solid tower-base.  Unusually the ringing ropes hang down into the body of the church after passing at an angle through an opening in the tower wall.  There are only three, and there is no room to increase the number, but with repair the bells could once again be rung full circle to remind villagers of the church at prayer, to mark special occasions, to be stuck as a chime for the clock, and to be pealed when there are special circumstances, as during the foot and mouth crisis in 2002.

The village is very keen to have the bells of the parish church restored to full use.  They are a vital part of our heritage.  We are proud to have them and duty bound to make sure they are restored to a good state for our use over the coming years, and for future generations.

The work to repair the bells will necessarily involve use of crane or scaffolding and removal of a section of the roof to get the bells out and down, as the tower steps are narrow and the base of the tower solid.  This means that costs will be high; the estimate in January 2007 was for around £35,000.

We are looking to raise money in various ways, including by application for a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.  This is by no means certain to award us money, so we plan to make a start this year with some serious fund raising ourselves, and we are delighted that Heather Thomas-Smith has support the fund through sponsorship of her second Scottish ‘TGO Challenge’ coast-to-coast walk.

Heather, who undertook the challenge for the first time in 2006, planned a different and harder route for 2007 which incorporated over 240 miles of walking and 50,000’ of ascent over some of Scotland’s remotest Corbetts and Munros between Torridon on the West Coast and Stonehaven on the East Coast.  She once again be undertook the challenge solo and camping or using bunkhouses on the way, which also meant she will had to carry tent, stove and all necessary equipment and food. 

To find out more about the challenge, the administration of which is sponsored by TGO magazine and RAB, please visit the TGO Challenge website at www.tgochallenge.co.uk and for the route and photographs of Heather’s 2007 challenge click here.

For details and photographs of Heather's 2006 challenge click here.

Click here to read a summary of Heather's
"Walking for Bells"

Click here to see the route details  and photos of
"Walking for Bells"

Click here to see photos and details of Heather's previous
Coast-to-Coast Walk