St Peter & St Paul: the bells and the bellringing team
The bells in Tonbridge Parish Church are rung every Sunday for morning service and on Friday evenings at 8.00 pm which is practice night. In addition, we ring them for special occasions such as weddings and to mark national events.
We are always seeking new recruits to join our band – ringing is fun, good exercise both physical and mental, and a means of joining a country wide activity. Because our bells are rather heavy, they are not suitable for the very young - aged 15+ should be fine.
Contact Angela Clark (the Tower Captain) if you would like to know more:
angelaclarkbuttons@btinternet.com
The St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s Change Ringing Society was formed in 1886 and our 10 or 12 members ring regularly. We have 8 bells in our tower, plus a tiny sanctus bell which is no longer in use.
THE BELLS
The heaviest, the Tenor, weighs in at 17 cwt. 3 quarters, 13 lbs, very nearly a tonne. The smallest bell, the Treble, weighs 5 cwt. 2 quarters 10 lbs. According to our records they weighed slightly more, but with more accurate weighing facilities available now, their true weight was revealed recently..
The bells are tuned to the key of E. Bells numbered 4, 5, and 6, date back to 1774. The other bells have been recast since, with the whole peal tuned and rehung by Whitechapel Bell Foundry in 1952. Whitechapel took over Messrs Mears and Stainbank who originally cast the bells (their Senior Partner, Alfred Silva Lawson, was a Past Master of the Skinners’ Company and a Governor of Tonbridge School).
RECENT WORK ON THE BELLS
In 2025, following a generous bequest, funds were raised to undertake serious work on the bells. Taylors of Loughborough collected the bells (the Whitechapel Bell Foundry has gone out of business) and they were taken to Loughborough for 6 months. They were refurbished: the clappers were adjusted, the Headstocks replaced where necessary, and they were hauled back up into the tower in March 2026. New sound proofing systems were installed and new ropes fitted.
Do please come up the tower to meet the ringers on a Friday evening.