The Westerham Clangers

31/05/2026

Rounding off the month of May with this morning's Sunday service ringing.

Got a bit hot in the tower so we opened another door to let in the breeze – good practice for Captain Elaine, who's now off sailing for six weeks 🌬️

Our thanks to Saturday's visiting ringers who left the bells up for us after completing their quarter peal 🙏

Let's see what June brings... 🔔☀️🤞

29/05/2026

'When church bells fall silent, something much greater than sound is lost: a living connection to England’s shared history.'

As Taylor's Bellfoundry, Loughborough explains, the UK Government's recent decision to effectively scrap the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme means that many historic churches will now struggle to undertake vital repairs and restoration.

'If preservation becomes financially unmanageable, Britain risks losing not only places of worship, but irreplaceable historic landmarks, specialist industries, and centuries-old traditions that have shaped public life.'
.. including bell-ringing... 🔔

Church bells have been the voice of Britain’s communities for centuries — marking celebration, mourning, remembrance, and warning in times of danger. But today, the historic churches that house them face growing financial pressure from rising costs and the effective removal of VAT relief on repairs.

What does this mean not only for churches, but for Britain’s wider heritage, traditional crafts, and the future of bell ringing itself?

Our latest article explores why this matters far beyond church walls.

Read the full article below.

https://belltrust.co.uk/when-church-bells-fall-silent-the-growing-threat-to-britains-heritage/

Photographs courtesy of Tom Pollard Photography, https://tompollardphotography.com/

26/05/2026

Happy Kent Day! 💚 26th May marks the feast day of St Augustine of Canterbury, whose missionary work started in and shaped the early history of our county – it’s also a time to celebrate Kentish heritage and cultural traditions, such as Westerham’s Gala Day!

Westerham Clangers’ Tower Captain Elaine has kindly shared these snaps from the 1987 Gala Day, when the St Mary’s Church bellringers won first prize for their float 🏆

You might not recognise Margaret in her mouse costume, but we think Elaine is easy to spot – even with long hair! We’ve also identified Marian (blonde hair) and Brian (bearded gentleman), who taught at Valence School – the bellringers' float was constructed in a barn on Valence land.

The carnival procession took various routes over the years (starting in 1937; resuming after WWII, and continuing until 1992), and in these photos you can see Westerham High Street and Beggars Lane.

A great deal of thought and detail went into the bellringers’ winning float: e.g. the zig-zag of the tower wall represents the ‘Kentish Delight’ change-ringing method. (If you're not familiar with bell-ringing terminology, think of the 'method' as the pattern/order in which the bells are rung – similar to a music score.)

With so much passion for history and creativity in our band (plus dramatic flair from our thespian contingent!), we'd like to think we could've regained that winners' cup! 😁

22/05/2026

Outside vs inside... Our louvred tower carries the bells' sound far and wide; on a clear, calm evening you can hear us ringing right across Westerham.

Inside the church, acoustics are different: you'll notice the clacking of the ropes; the way they snake and rattle their way up to the ceiling. Then there's Captain Elaine calling out the changes – plus the chatter between our band 😊

We don't often hear how our ringing sounds 'from outside', but with the UK heatwave set to be here for a while, we could well be leaving our tower doors open for a listen!

Enjoy the sunshine – and the long bank holiday weekend! 😎

18/05/2026

Chatting away on The One Show last Friday, our band member Margaret told the BBC that she’s ‘only’ been bell-ringing for 40 years. But what prompted her to start?

Working as a verger and in the office at St Mary’s in Westerham – where she is still greatly involved with the church, Margaret arranged an initial learners’ course to encourage her then-teenage son to ring, and to help the town’s church school leavers (who were all going off to different schools) to stay in touch with their friends.

Despite its success, fewer youngsters were interested in a second course, so in 1983 (she thinks!), Margaret asked the group’s ringing instructors (Frank and Catherine Lewis) to teach adults.

“I got three of my friends to come and learn, and put myself down as well,” Margaret explains. “I thought, it didn’t look that difficult…!”
A nice soundbite for the BBC? 😉
“They wouldn’t have included it,” she grins.

A good clanger “must be able to concentrate,” says Margaret. “But they also have to be able to relax and socialise – you’ve got to be serious when you’re learning stuff, but you relax afterwards!”
– which is possibly how she managed to be such a composed and twinkly-eyed interviewee on prime-time television last week…

It hopefully goes without saying that we all adore Margaret, admire her tremendously (this post would be three times as long were we to detail everything she does for our town!), and are so pleased that she’s having some well-deserved time in the spotlight 🥰

Pics: Bell Sunday ringing (and awaiting the celebrity clanger!) + Margaret’s appearance on ‘The One Show’ last Friday.

17/05/2026

Did you know that there’s a Patron Saint of Bellringers – and that he was an Archbishop of Canterbury?

Born near Glastonbury around 909 AD, Dunstan was taught by monks and devoted his life to the Church, rising to become Abbot of Glastonbury, Bishop of Worcester, Bishop of London, and finally, Archbishop of Canterbury.

He was also a skilled scribe, artist, musician and metalsmith. An early believer in the power of music to call people to worship, Dunstan experimented with the design and forging of church bells 🎶

Saint Dunstan was canonised in 1029 for his religious leadership and holy reputation, along with his prominent role in restoring English monasteries after the Viking invasions.

🔔 On ‘Bell Sunday’ – the Sunday that falls closest to St Dunstan’s annual feast day (19th May), we pay tribute to Saint Dunstan and celebrate the important role that bells and bellringers play in the life of the Church and serving their communities.

We'll be thinking of all those who've contributed to Westerham's 'historic soundtrack' as we ring the bells this morning: 10.00–10.30am.

15/05/2026

👀 Did you spot us on The One Show? We were thrilled to welcome the BBC's film crew into our tower during Tuesday's ringing practice!

Being filmed for TV was quite an experience, but nothing fazes Westerham's 'star' Clanger, Margaret, who chatted away nonchalantly to interviewer Minah Shannon:

"I've only been ringing for about 40 years... There are people in the tower that have been ringing longer than me; they're just not as old!"

Combined with coverage of the young ringers from nearby Seal Chart and their tutor, Jen Thomas – a frequent visitor to our tower, it was a fantastic opportunity to show how inclusive and rewarding Kent bell-ringing can be.

Our thanks to Rev. David Fox-Branch for granting permission for filming to take place inside St Mary's Church. 'Bell Sunday' service is this weekend: 17th May; and you'll hear us ringing beforehand: 10–10.30am.

10/05/2026

Perhaps one of the nicest things about bell-ringing in our community is the way it gets us all together on a Sunday to do something challenging, rewarding and sociable.

Six bells this morning; we ran out of time to ring up the heaviest two, so Captain Elaine delegated leadership duties to Peter in order to start strategising for Bell Sunday (exciting news coming soon...!).

We all re-convened at No. 21 The Green Westerham for coffee and a catch-up, and somehow managed to get everyone in our gang a seat and a hot drink before Jacqui and her amazingly efficient team were deluged with soggy cyclists!

Happy Sunday, everyone. Keep warm & dry!

04/05/2026

What a day! – a busy one for us, with virtually every Tower Climb tour slot claimed! 😃

Thank you to all who visited today 🙏 We've had a brilliant time sharing a bit of 'what we do' with really lovely people, who asked some excellent questions!

🔔 Your support means so much to us, and all funds raised today will go towards the maintenance of Westerham Parish Church bells – as you may have heard from David up in the belfry, it requires quite an investment to keep these heavyweight, finely-tuned musical instruments in proper working order...

We hope that next time you hear church bells, you'll have a better idea of what it takes – and perhaps you'll even think about giving bell-ringing a go yourself 😉