Delight as Lewes church bell rings out again after 50 years

The church bell at Priory School’s Memorial Chapel rang out on Armistice Day for the first time in decades.
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Due to being in a state of disrepair, the bell, which has a poignant link to the Sussex fallen of the Second World War, remained silent in what was thought to be nearly 50 years.

But thanks to hard work and fundraising by the Chapel Trustees Committee, it has been restored to its former glory.

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David Arnold, a member of the committee, said: “Lockdown restrictions meant that around 20 or so people gathered outside the chapel on Armistice Day to witness the bell being rung for the first time in around half a century.

The church bell being restored (left) and the Memorial Chapel in LewesThe church bell being restored (left) and the Memorial Chapel in Lewes
The church bell being restored (left) and the Memorial Chapel in Lewes

“After the two-minute silence was observed from 11am the bell was duly rung 55 times in memory of the former pupils who died on active service in the Second World War.

“Observing Armistice Day is always a very moving occasion but it was made especially poignant to hear the bell sounding loud and clear after so many years of silence.

“All the 55 had Sussex roots so it is fitting that we can pay them appropriate tribute in the county town through the restoration and repair of the bell.”

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Chapel trustee John Murray was a pupil at the grammar school in the 60s. He oversaw the project to repair the bell and get it ringing again in time for this year’s Armistice Day.

Picture contributedPicture contributed
Picture contributed

He said: “Priory School has always been very supportive of our efforts to preserve the chapel and what it represents to Lewes and the wider history of Sussex, but I also do find it heartwarming that so many of the grammar school ‘old boys’ remember their school days with such affection and a willingness to make generous donations that help keep the heritage alive.

“Getting the bell working again is a brilliant example.”

The bell was cast by John Warner and Sons, a firm that traded between 1739 and 1949. The then grammar school’s headmaster, Neville Bradshaw, believed it came from the old Naval Prison in North Street, Lewes, and was languishing in a local scrap yard when the borough surveyor suggested it might be perfect for the planned chapel’s bell tower.

With it now in full working order, it is the intention for the bell to be rung each November hereafter.

Read more about the history of the church bell in David Arnold’s County Yarns history column on page 40 in this week’s Sussex Express, out on Friday (November 13).