Bells are back ringing in Hawton's historic All Saints’ Church

After nearly 70 years without the sound of bells, a village church will soon be ringing them out again.

All Saints’ Church in Hawton hasn’t been able to ring the bells in the tower for nearly 70 years as the frame inside was very old and unsafe, so the four bells inside have been silent for decades for fear that the structure would collapse.

But now, after a year-long project by the church’s committee, working with the Southwell and Nottingham Diocesan Guild of Church Bellringers, the bells and its frame have undergone a restoration and on Monday, the original bells were placed back into the tower, along with four new ones.

Dr David Britton, churchwarden, said: “The bells haven’t been rung for so long because the frame was too rickety.

“This is one of the biggest projects in the churches of Nottinghamshire for a good while.”

More than £250,000 has been raised by the church’s congregation over the past few years to repair the tower and restore the bells, as well as improving the church’s facilities

On top of this, the committee also received a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £85,700 towards the bell tower project.

Before being replaced in the tower, the four original bells, one of which dates back to around 1482, were displayed in Newark Market Place on Saturday during the morning for people to see them at close quarters.

Southwell and Nottingham Diocesan Guild of Bellringers area representative Geoff Wells said: “It’s been a collossal job getting the bells back in. We still have some work to do to get them ringing again but we’re nearly there. It is all coming together.”

The bells will be re-dedicated by the Bishop of Sherwood, the Right Rev Tony Porter, on November 2.