The tower was added in 1215 and our oldest bell goes back to the 14th century. For more of the history click here
However, the tower had fallen into disrepair and birds had gained access causing waste to build up. In addition, the bells were found to be in a terrible state and one of the major ones had cracked and fallen
A HUGE thank you to the National Churches Trust and Buckinghamshire Historic Churches Trust amongst other supporters without whom this work would not been possible. Please also see how you can help supporting future work on the church
Clearing The Bird Waste
Installing The Grilles
The State Of The Bells
How You Can Help
The first step was to get rid of the bird waste that had built up
There were about 30 sackfulls and a big skip was needed!
We engaged Iron Forged Designs from Brackley to undertake this work (ifd@hotmail.co.uk 01280 308975)
It meant we had to close the church for four days while the scaffolding was up, the grilles cut and the waste removed
Ben and Tom did a great job of clearing & disposing of all the material!
Once the waste was removed, Iron Forged Designs then cut the grilles to fit each window
They then installed these to stop bird access going forward
Sadly over recent years, the bells have fallen into disrepair and bird waste causing damage
It was found that one of the major bells had broken off and fallen to the platform below
In addiiton, the mechanisms that enable the bells to ring had deteriorated and one has broken as part of the bell falling
The other main bells were also found to be in a poor condition and not useable unless restored
This is the smaller sanctus bell - the 14th century one used to signify a service is starting soon. Again, this needs TLC
As can be seen, there is major work required to put the bells and mechanisms back into full working order
These bells are all noted as "historic" in the diocese and county records so it is a terrible shame that that they have fallen into this condition and the main set cannot be rung
It cost nearly £7000 to undertake this clearing and protective work
But this has NOT put all the bells back into working order. That is being investigated further but is estimated would cost between £40-60,000 - a major project
There are 3 ways you can help:
- If you are able to donate, please click here or on the Parish Giving icon below
- Another way is to join our Friends organisation (FOStA) who support the fabric of the church through events and campaigns
- And then a FREE way to help our fabric is by generating cashback each time you shop online including at places like Amazon, Tesco and 7,500 other shops. Click here or on the Easyfundraising picture below
Thank you so much for considering
