Bell Restoration and Augmentation Project

In March 2024 an appeal was launched to raise £60,000 to restore the ring of six bells at St.Mary`s Chirk and to augment them to a ring of eight bells. The bells last received attention from professional bell engineers in 1912 and in order to ensure that they will continue to ring out across Chirk for future generations some major restoration work is required. The bells are very popular with ringers and so at the same time it was decide that, if funds allowed, the ring would be increased to eight offering greater opportunities to future ringers. With the enthusiastic support from the church, many community groups in Chirk and grant making bodies, including the Heritage Lottery Fund, the £60,000 target was quickly reached.

Work is very shortly to start to bring the project to fruition. The two new treble bells have been cast at the Dutch bell foundry of Royal Eijsbouts in Asten. The existing bells and their fittings will be lowered from the tower and transported to the works of Nicholson Engineering in Bridport, Dorset the firm selected to undertake the work. There the bells will be tuned with the two new bells and the fittings refurbished. While the bells are out of the tower the local ringers will clean prepare and paint the existing iron and steel framework which supports the bells.

It is hoped the bells, the two new bells and all the fittings will be returned to the church in May, rehung and the project completed by the end of that month. In order to offset some of the carbon emissions associated with the project a donation of £500 has been made to a tree replanting scheme at Chirk Castle