A chime of the times - at the push of a button

A medieval church in north Cornwall has its bells ringing for the first time in 50 years, but without the use of any bell-ringers.

The belltower at St Sampson's Church in South Hill, near Callington, had all of its bells removed over safety fears, with it taking four years to raise the money to restore them.

The five bells were assessed to be too delicate to be rung using the conventional rope-and-clapper method, so each one has had an electromagnetic hammer installed inside it.

At the push of a button, the bells can deliver a number of different pre-programmed peals, suitable for all liturgical occasions.

Four of the bells inside the church, which was completed in 1333, date back to 1698.

The tenor bell was cast in 1831, but the metal of all five is very thin.

They have been equipped for "stationary electronic chiming", where each bell is locked in stationary position and is fitted with an internal electromagnetic hammer.

They are controlled from a small wall-mounted touchscreen system just a bit bigger than a boiler control unit inside the church.

The Truro Diocesan Guild of Ringers had to give approval for the use of the automated system to chime the bells.

Churchwarden Judith Ayres said: "If we restored them, the whole full circle ringing would be nearly £200,000, that's the difference in price - £40,000 or £200,000.

"And, as we need the roof, fixed we couldn't justify raising the funds for the bells.

"Now we have this system that anyone can push the buttons, they're programmed to ring on a Sunday morning, so we don't have to do anything.

"We can put a funeral toll, we can play for weddings, or we can play them all - with our one finger."

One of the congregation, and the church's unofficial historian, Miranda Lawrance-Owen, said she was delighted to hear the bells chime again, adding: "It was so exciting. It was wonderful and made me want to cry."

Guild member and bellringer Caroline Becket said: "The bells are very old, so we are not allowed to tune them and, unfortunately, they're a little bit odd-struck and out of tune."

But her husband and fellow bellringer Chris Beckett pointed out: "I suspect many people wouldn't be able to tell the difference - they just hear bells."

Taylors Bellfoundry restored the bells and kept them in Loughborough until the money was raised over four years to pay for the work.

Already St Sampson's has restored all of the stained glass windows and a heated floor is being installed in the Manaton Family Chapel, among other things.

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