Bell Tower
Bells that still hang in the tower have been calling people of Highworth for almost three centuries.
The Tower contains a ring of eight full circle ringing bells in a low sided Cast Iron Bell frame.
The bell installation was manufactured by John Taylor of Loughborough in 1951.
The ring of eight bells consists of work from various bell founders:
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The two oldest bells are the treble and the sixth and cast by Henry Bagley 1689.
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The next oldest bells are the fourth and the fifth which were recast by John Warner in 1898 and were originally cast be Robert Wells in1766 and Abraham Rudhall 1717.
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The next oldest bells are the second,third and tenor which were recast by John Taylor in 1951 and were originally cast by Henry Bagley in 1689 the tenor being previously recast by John Warner in 1898 and before that originally cast by Abraham Rudhall 1718.
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The newest bell is the seventh and was cast by John Taylor in 1957 and was the donor bell from the Keltek Trust and formerly a redundant bell from Speke, Liverpool.
If you would like to listen to a peal of St Michael's bells then please use the player below.
The bells were recorded in February 2001 by Nick, the short audio clip was edited from a 10 minute recording called 'Yorkshire Surprise Major'.
If you are interested in Bell ringing and would like to visit to see what it's about you will be more than welcome. Please take a look at the Bell Ringing page and contact the office for more information.
The two clock faces on the north and west side of the tower were erected in the memory of those brave men of the parish of Highworth who died in the Second World War of 1939-1945.
