The Bells of Bildeston, Suffolk

The church of St Mary Magdalene in Bildeston has had a fascinating history when it comes to the bells and the tower. On the morning of the 8th May 1975, villagers were awoken to the sound of a tremendous roar. It was the sound of the church tower collapsing. Somewhat ironically, the tower had been undergoing maintenance at the time and was surrounded in scaffolding, and the bells had been removed. Many years later, the buttresses of the tower were strengthened and the tower topped with a wooden box, to allow the bells to be rehung in the tower in 1997 by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. The bells themselves are all quite old, with the most recent hanging having been cast in 1718. All the bells were cast by different founders at different times. The treble was cast in c1456 by John Danyell, the 2nd in c1700 by Samuel Gilpin, the 3rd in 1683 by Miles III Graye, the 4th in c1499 by Brasyers of Norwich (generic), the 5th in 1704 by Henry Pleasent and the tenor in 1718 by Thomas Gardiner. The treble, 3rd and tenor were welded at the time of the 1997 rehanging. The bells are very easy to ring, and sound lovely, especially when being rung at a steady pace. Recorded during my outing to Suffolk in 2023. 6 bells, 14-0-25cwt in E. Featuring fellow ringing YouTubers: ‪@Mr_SaltyChip‬ ‪@lucasowen5040‬ ‪@theobellringer6211‬‪@Ryryfh2007‬ @Ben Keating ‪@ringerkye9641‬.