Church bells     Church Bells

Welcome to St Mary the Virgin, Norwood Green bells

 

 

The Bells of St Mary's - Then and Now

One of the special features that contribute to the village-feel of Norwood Green is the sound of the bells of St Mary's Church ringing out across the neighbourhood. Following a period of silence during the pandemic, many have commented on what a joy it has been to hear a peal of bells once again.

 

The bell tower was erected in 1896 replacing a bell-cote which had previously collapsed. The ring of six bells were originally cast in 1753 and recast and tuned in 1909, with the tenor weighing 7-0-20 cwt. A service for the re-dedication of the bells was held on the 16th October 2016, following the completion of works on the bells by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. These bells are on plain bearings which are quite a challenge to ring.

 

Norwood Green is in the Western District of the Middlesex County Association and London Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers whose website is http://www.bellringing.london


A bell is rung for a few minutes before our main 10am service every Sunday, and again, very briefly towards the end of the service.

 

We welcome bell-ringers sometimes by arrangement for special occasions e.g. for weddings, funerals or parish festivities. A highlight is the annual bell-ringing competition when St Mary's Church hosts a number of bell-ringing groups. This event has attracted a lot of interest and positive feedback from local residents, including families who have come into the church to find out more. 

 

We practice every second Tuesday in the month from 7.45pm - 9pm and aim to practice a particular method each month. Whether you are already a bell ringer or you are interested in learning, please do so via the 'contact us' page addressed to Linda Georgiades.


Dates for the Diary: February to December 2024

At the moment, in addition to the brief tolling of a bell on Sunday morning, here is our planned ringing:

Ø  Tuesday 6 February 7.45-9pm

Ø  Tuesday 5 March 7.45-9pm

Ø  Tuesday 9 April 7.45-9pm

Ø  Tuesday 7 May 7.45-9pm

Ø  Sunday 2 June 2.30 onwards – striking competition

Ø  Tuesday 11 June 7.45-9pm

Ø  Tuesday 9 July 7.45-9pm

Ø  Tuesday 6 August 7.45-9pm

Ø  Tuesday 10 September 7.45-9pm

Ø  Tuesday 8 October 7.45-9pm

Ø  Tuesday 5 November 7.45-9pm

Ø  Tuesday 10 December 7.45-9pm


Loving our neighbours

Whilst we receive overwhelmingly positive comments about the ringing of the bells, we recognise that for some, the loud sound can be intrusive. We take seriously Jesus' instruction to 'love your neighbour' and have made some accommodations to express our care for our nearest neighbours. 

 

Ø  We responded to feedback from local residents that the bells were being rung too late for a school night at the monthly practice, and moved to a 9pm finish

Ø  On Sundays, we don't ring bells before our early 8.30am service as we recognise our neighbours may be enjoying a lie-in 

Ø  When requests come in to ring the bells, we look at whether there are any other additional bell-ringing events that month before making a decision

Ø  We have responded to a request to make the times of ringing available on our website so that people have the information they need to make plan