THE BELLS of Great Malvern Priory have fallen silent as part of a ‘once in a lifetime’ restoration project.
A low loader arrived at the historic church to transport the nine existing bells, some dating back to 1350, to the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London, where they will be restored.
The foundry has already made two new bells which will be added to the church when they are returned in the summer.
The £220,000 project, which received a £90,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, was pushed to the forefront as the frame which currently supports them could not take the weight of the ancient bells.
David Roskelly, bell ringer at the church for ten years, said: “When the frame was built in 1887 and the bells were put into it, it has never been stiff enough to deal with them.
“It flexes up and down and slides side to side but this project will retain the frame because it is of historical interest.
“It is a once in a lifetime day. You won’t see them come out again, once they go back in in the summer they will be up there for a substantial period of time.”
