West Wales Life&Style Winter 2020

prestigious bells found in West
Wales are those belonging to St
David’s Cathedral.
However, the ring of ten cathedral
bells are no longer located in the
cathedral itself, but now hang in
the nearby Porth y Twr – Tower
Gate. Dating back to the 13th
century, the detached gatehouse,
which overlooks the cathedral, is
the last of the four original gates to
Cathedral Close.
According to records, there was
an octave of bells – eight - at the
cathedral in the middle of the 14th
century, but these were at some
point sent to be recast. On their
return journey to St Davids, the
largest was lost at sea. By 1690, the
cathedral housed five bells although
some were cracked and in 1748 it
was ordered that the four largest
should be removed as they were
both useless and becoming ever
more dangerous. Two were sold in
1765.
The remaining bells were left for a
period in the nave of the cathedral.
The smaller of the two, which were
cast for the cathedral by William
Savill of London, was reportedly
used in the casting of the fifth bell
of a brand new octave in 1928,
which is now the seventh bell of the
current peal of 10, with two smaller
bells having been added in 2001.
The purchase of the 1928 octave
was only made possible thanks to an
anonymous donation.
The only known surviving
medieval bell now forms part of an
exhibition in Porth y Twr, which
was itself derelict until it was
restored between 1928 and 1931,
thanks to the anonymous donor.
The 10 bells at St David’s
cathedral now form the prestigious
centrepiece of the Guild’s portfolio.
But while opportunities for
bellringers in West Wales might
appear limited, new possibilities
are arising, not least at Nevern in
north Pembrokeshire where a new
ring of 10 bells is set to be installed,
hopefully in time for Christmas.
The installation at St Brynach’s
Church will see bells ring out across
the village for the first time in more
than 160 years and comes after a
two-year fundraising campaign,
which has seen the restoration of
the church tower, with the original
bells and bell frame taken down,
West Wales Life&Style
Ropes at the ready at St Dingad’s Church, Llandovery. Picture: Claire Alexander
refurbished and replaced.
The ambitious project began only
with initial hopes of restoring the
original six bells, which date back to
1763, but it has proved so successful
that it was able to expand its vision
to the point where 10 bells will now
be put in place, including two new
‘
Bellringing is
a very inclusive
activity ’
bells specially commissioned and
cast in Milan.
Currently, there are only six other
churches in Wales with 10 bells.
“Having 10 bells will put the
church on the world ringing map,”
St Brynach fundraising committee
chairman Duncan Fitzwilliams said.
Such is the nature of bellringing
that St Brynach’s new and restored
bells will undoubtedly ringers from
across the country.
“Most bellringers belong to a
specific tower,” said Anne, “but you
can go to just about any tower to
ring.
“We have a governing body that
joins up all the bellringers and
towers around the country. It means
you can go anywhere in the country
and ring at any tower.
“In the St David’s Diocesan Guild
of Bell Ringers we love to welcome
visitors from across the country – as
do all the other guilds.
“We are always happy to welcome
people to come and join us.”
With bellringing being such a
broad church, those taking part are
enthusiastic and dedicated, and ring
for many different reasons.
“Some people ring because they
are members of the church,” said
Anne, “and some ring because
they are interested in the bells
themselves; some ring because they
are interested in the patterns and
some are like twitchers, wanting to
visit ever tower across the country
and tick them off as they go.
“Bellringing is a great way to
socialise and meet people from all
over the country. It is a wonderful
activity to be part of.”
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