6 bells Tenor 8-2-2 in A Grid Ref. TR113484 Canterbury District Retuning: 2000 John Taylor (apart from the 4th & 5th) Ground Floor Chancel Ring Peals ► "Ringing Resumes on the Roof of Kent" by Dickon Love The Editor of Lovesguide was for a time Captain of the bells here when they were but a ring of 4.

Bell	Weight (2000 prior to retuning)	Weight (2000 after retuning)	Diameter	Pitch (prior to retuning)	Pitch (after retuning)	Cast	Founder
1		4-1-2		F sharp	F sharp	2000	John Taylor & Co.
2		4-3-12		E	E	2000	John Taylor & Co.
3	4-3-0	4-2-27	29"	D sharp	D	1631	Joseph Hatch
4	5-2-4	5-2-4	307/8"	C sharp	C sharp	1631	Joseph Hatch
3	6-3-6	6-3-6	33"	B	B.	1602	Joseph Hatch
4	8-2-17	8-2-2	3615/16"	A	A.	1631	Joseph Hatch

1602		Bell cast by Joseph Hatch - believed to be his earliest known bell. Note that this bell bears Thomas Hatch's stamp!
1631		3 more bells cast by Joseph Hatch forming bells 1, 2 and 4 around the 1602 bell.
1757		Rev'd Bryan Faussett wrote: This Church, consists of a Chancell and Nave, which are divided by ye Belfry, wch. has a low Spire with 4 Small Bells, wch. appear to have been founded in 1631, by Joseph Hatch.
1800		Edward Hasted wrote, clearly mistakenly: The church, which is dedicated to St Bartholomew, consists of one isle and a chance, having a low pointed tower between them, in which there is one bell.
1996	28th July	Bells last rung, following which they were condemned as unringable.
1997		Appeal launched to rehang the bells in a new frame, preserving the old frame, the work to be undertaken by Hayward-Mills Associates.
1999		Bells removed from the tower. Owing to the large workload of the bell foundries at this time, the bells were not restored in time for the Millennium celebrations of 1st January, 2000.
2000	29th June	Two new bells were cast to augment the ring to 6. The plan was initially to create a ring of 6 in the Lydian Mode, however, the parish decided to retune the existing bells such that a diatonic 6 could be produced.
2000	23rd Dec.	Rehanging of the remodelled ring of six was completed and the bells were first rung, just in time for Christmas.
2001	24th Feb.	The new ring was dedicated.

GALLERY

(l-r) Third, second and treble bells in the old frame.	The tenor bell prior to restoration.
The bells arrive from Loughborough on a lorry - the old 4 and the shiny new trebles.	The new second sitting at the base of the tower.
The new treble sitting at the base of the tower.	The Thomas Hatch stamp on the 5th (actually cast by Joseph Hatch).
This is a drawing of the old timber bellframe by Nick Davies in 1960.