After lunch we motored over to East Bergholt to buy a few things to cheer the garden up in winter, and called in at the church. After the collapse of the church tower, the bell cage (see photo) was built as a temporary measure in 1531, and houses the heaviest five bell peal in the country. It has been in use ever since, except that about ten years ago, there was a mishap, and one of the bells killed a ringer. The bell cage was then closed for a few years whilst a few changes were made for safety, and it is now again in action, the bells being rung every Sunday morning and on special occasions.
Suffolk makes very permanent and durable 'temporary' measures - No wonder time goes so slowly there.
ReplyDeleteI can see how a ringer could get crushed by a big bell at ground level, but after half a millennium of safe usage it seems less likely than being shotten by your pupils!