St Botolph’s, Stoke Albany

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Stoke Albany Bell Renovation Project

The six bells at St Botolph’s Church in Stoke Albany, Northamptonshire are receiving a major overhaul in a bid to preserve the centuries-old tradition of bellringing at this historic parish church, which dates back to the late 13^th Century.

The original five bells were cast by Robert Taylor of St. Neots in 1790 and a sixth bell, cast by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough, was added in 1888, when a new oak and cast iron bell frame was also installed in the belfry. The carved inscription below, that can be found at the top of the bell tower, is almost certainly the work of Josiah Deacon, whose occupation was listed in the 1891 census as ‘blacksmith’.

However, over the ensuing 138 years, the bells have become increasingly difficult to ring, such that even experienced ringers now avoid ringing at Stoke, and younger ringers and learners are unable to train at the tower at all.

The main issues are that the bells have old wooden headstocks and plain bearings (consisting of a metal pin turning in a brass cup), which makes the bells unpredictable to ring and much heavier to turn and handle than those mounted on modern roller bearings. The plain bearings also need constant oiling to keep them working, and experts from the Peterborough Diocesan Guild of Church Bellringers (PDG) have advised that the bells are likely to become unringable within the next 10 years. After this, the bells would deteriorate further until they’d eventually need removing to prevent damage to the tower itself.

Action Group formed – Autumn 2025

To stem this decline, in Autumn 2025 local bellringers launched the Stoke Albany Bell Renovation Project , with Stoke residents Penny Benson, Andy Bimson and Jonathan Seymour taking on the roles of Chair, Technical Adviser and Secretary respectively.

Having scoped out the work needed to save Stoke’s bells, the team set about raising the £60,000 needed to get the bells restored and prevent them falling silent. Amazingly, this sum has been raised in less than a year, with most of the money coming from generous individual and corporate donations from Stoke villagers, along with grants from the following organisations:

• Stoke Albany Parish Council
• Desborough Ward Councillors Initiative Funding
• The Benefact Trust
• The PDG Bell Fund

This intrepid team has also been out selling plants, postcards, homemade ‘Save the Bells’ jam and other items at various local events, including St Botolph’s Day and the annual Stoke Feast in June, Wilbarston Open Gardens in May and a Tower Open Day, where visiting ringers came from all over the country to ring at Stoke and other towers in the area. All this activity has also raised awareness of the bells and bellringing in general, as well as getting the local community involved in the project.

Bell removal begins, 15 September 2026

The six bells, weighing a total of around two tonnes, with the largest weighing 10 cwt (around half a tonne), were removed from the tower over three days, from 15–17 September 2026.

Event for villagers and local bellringers, 17 September 2026

On 17 September, Stoke villagers and local bellringers were invited to the church to see the bells laid out in the ringing chamber, with the tenor taking pride of place in the nave, and to wave them off on their journey.

And they’re off!

The bells have now been taken to the John Taylor & Co Bell Foundry in Loughborough to be cleaned, tuned and weighed, have their wooden headstocks replaced with metal ones, their wheels refurbished and new fittings provided.

The bells of St Botolph’s, Stoke Albany, are a vital part of the Parish’s spiritual and cultural heritage, and this project is essential to ensure they do not fall silent. The work we do here today is a once in a generation opportunity that will secure the future of the bells as a vibrant legacy for villagers, young and old, for centuries to come.

“We’d like to thank everyone who has helped make this renovation possible. The involvement of our local community is vital to making this project a success, and we are both delighted and humbled by the level of donations and support we have received. We really couldn’t have asked for more.

Penny Benson, Project Chair

What happens next?

While the bells are out of the tower, a team of local volunteers will be cleaning, painting and renovating the bell frames, and installing new rope guides to make ringing easier, ready for the bells to be returned and rehung on new roller bearings early in the New Year. If you’re able to help with the work on the frames, which will take place over three Saturdays in the next couple of months, please contact Andy Bimson, who is co-ordinating the work, on [email protected], mobile 07816 787639.

When the bells have been reinstalled in the New Year, the team will be looking to broaden participation in bellringing by getting new learners, including young people, to come along and learn the ropes.

Did you know?

The last full peal at St Botolph’s was rung on 26 March 2023, lasting 2 hours and 53 minutes and, the same month, on 19 March 2023, Stoke’s bells were featured on BBC Radio 4’s weekly ‘Bells on Sunday’ programme. This episode can be found online at https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001k7n9

A slice of history