Ring out those bells

St James's new bells were rung for the first time on Remembrance Sunday twenty-five years ago.

Yesterday we marked the anniversary with a moment of thanksgiving for the Docklands Ringers who have made it possible for the bells to ring out across Bermondsey every Sunday for the last quarter of a century.

With a video link to the ringing chamber and the bell chamber, the congregation were able to watch a live demonstration of bellringing on the screens in the church and, after the service, the congregation had the opportunity to tour the bell tower and meet the ringers. Thank you, Docklands Ringers.

The old bells that hadn't been rung for over 50 years were sold to St James's Cathedral, Toronto,
where they ring to this day, and new bells for St James were cast at Whitechapel and hung in a new bell-frame especially made for St James's Church here in Bermondsey.

The new bells safely installed