Update from the Belfry, St Mary’s, Leigh

February 2024

Over the last twelve months we have managed to ring all six bells at St Mary’s for Sunday morning service most weeks, including Christmas, Easter, and Remembrance Sunday.

We also rang for five weddings during 2023 and for the King’s Coronation on 6th May. On 16th April we rang a quarter-peal of Grandsire and Plain Bob Doubles (40 minutes non-stop ringing without mistakes) in celebration of the life of Arthur Lewis, who died in 2022 aged 92, and for the 92nd anniversary of the addition of the new treble (the lightest bell). A second quarter-peal was scored on 9th December.

Our joint weekly bell ringing practices with the ringers from Chiddingstone, Penshurst, Withyham and Edenbridge have continued to be a success. We host the combined group at St Mary’s on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. By merging our practices, we have been able to help learners develop their skills and have also given the more advanced ringers an opportunity to ring some more complicated methods (such as Cambridge Surprise).

Some of our ringers have supported other ringing events in the Tonbridge District and elsewhere in Kent. David and Frances attended an Association of Ringing Teachers (ART) course at Otford to learn how to teach bell handling and have assisted on several training courses across the district.

We have also had two visits from Gillett & Johnston clock engineers – in November when the clock stopped because of overwinding and an annual service visit in January.

Ringing is a traditional art that involves rhythm and patterns, not brute strength or hazard. 

Ringers are a very welcoming group of people who span all social classes and occupations in thousands of towers across the British Isles and even further afield. 

If anyone in the parish aged between 12 and 102 would like to know more about the bells, the art of bellringing, or even learning to ring then please contact 

Dave James (01732 833938) or any of the other ringers.