The bells have been cleaned and fully lubricated and are now in full working order and a group of parishioners have received training and the bells can be heard once again.

They consist of the following: -

A history of the bells

1552 – The earliest records show four bells in the tower.

1721 – John Waylett of Cripplegate recast four of the then five bells and rehung them in a new timber frame. Three of these 1721 bells (today's Tenor, 2nd and 3rd) are still rung.

1723 – John Waylett recast the remaining bell.

1770 – The original stone tower was struck by lightning and badly damaged.

1777 – The present brick tower was built, with a new frame for six bells, but only five were hung in it. That 1777 timber frame still holds the bells today. Local legend had it that the “missing” sixth bell had been stolen by neighbouring Kenardington!

1799 – The Kent historian Edward Hasted records five bells in the tower.

1904 – The bellfounders Mears & Stainbank reported that one bell was broken in half and another was badly cracked and in danger of breaking and falling.

1913 – Alfred Bowell of Ipswich recast the two damaged bells (now the 4th and 5th), reusing their historic bronze, rehung the ring of five, repaired the floor beneath the bells and strengthened the frame, at a cost of £74.

1936 – A new Treble by Alfred Bowell was hung in the empty pit, cast to mark the Silver Jubilee of King George V and championed by the Rector, the Rev. Dr W. Ivens. On Sunday 5 July the Archbishop of Canterbury dedicated it outside the church, with the bell standing on a table near the belfry door, and afterwards shook hands with the ringers. This gave Warehorne its full ring of six bells in G major and put the 159-year-old legend to rest. The bell and two new ropes cost £62 4s, and that August 13 handbells were bought for £4. (Bowell records; Kentish Express, 10 July 1936)

Come and ring with us

Whether you are a complete beginner or an experienced ringer, our friendly band would love to welcome you. Practice night is every Wednesday, 7.45pm to 9pm. Come along to watch, ask questions, or have a go yourself.

For news and updates from the ringers, follow the Warehorne Bell Ringing Circle on Facebook.

Hear the bells

Watch and listen to the bells below, or go up into the belfry with our full YouTube playlist: The Church Bells of St Matthew’s, Warehorne: 470 Years of History.

Find out more

For full technical details, inscriptions, photos and the record of peals rung at Warehorne, see Love's Guide to the Church Bells of Kent and Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers.