Welsh church to listen to full bell ring for first time at Easter service

Over 150 years since a north Wales church was built with plans for a full ring of bells, the sound long intended for its tower is finally set to be heard at an Easter service.

The bells of St Mary’s Church in Betws-y-Coed are resulting from sound ahead of the church’s 11am Easter Day family Eucharist and blessing of the lambs, marking the primary time the entire ring has been utilized in worship for the reason that church was established within the nineteenth century.

The milestone comes after the finalisation of an intensive restoration and installation project that has transformed the tower.

While the unique vision for a full set of bells was never realised when the church was built, the tower has now been equipped with nine bells, creating the total ring that had been intended from the outset.

Eight of the bells were transferred from St John’s Church in Porthmadog after it shut down in 2024, creating a long-lasting link between the 2 communities.

Refurbished and rehung, the ninth bell was originally solid in 1873 for Betws-y-Coed by John Warner of London and now serves because the church’s clock and chiming bell.

The idea for the project began to emerge in 2019 after discussions on the Llanrwst Eisteddfod with members of Côr Penmachno collaborating.

Some of those present were experienced bell ringers but had no nearby tower during which to practise, prompting the thought of constructing a hoop at St Mary’s.

Since then, local supporters have helped drive the project forward, with Nigel Thomas serving as Tower Captain alongside a team of volunteers in other key roles corresponding to secretary, treasurer and steeple keepers.

The bells transferred from Porthmadog were made by John Warner & Sons – six were solid in 1900, with an additional two included in 1902.

The heaviest bell weighs over 10 hundredweight, and the total ring is tuned in the important thing of G.

Before installation, they were restored, retuned and ready by Taylor’s Bell Foundry.

Work within the tower included fitting latest headstocks, removing older fittings and cleansing and tuning the bells.

A fresh base frame was also constructed using elements from the previous Porthmadog installation and held up by the church’s original tower beams.

In addition, the clock mechanism has been replaced, allowing it once more to strike the hour.

The project is reported to have cost about £100,000 and was financed largely through grants, with backing from organisations including the Keltek Trust, the Hobart Trust and the Bernard Piggott Trust.

During the course of the work, historic newspapers dating back to October 1874 were also uncovered within the tower, amongst them a duplicate of the Caernarvon and Denbigh Herald containing a reference to Betws-y-Coed.

The bells have been named in honour of eight local people, including former churchwardens, with three of those honoured are expected to be present on the Easter service.

Local priest and Ministry Area Leader of Bro Gwydyr, Rev Stuart Elliott shared: “It was a beautiful and emotional moment to listen to the bells during a test ring. It will likely be extraordinary to listen to them rung for the primary time at a church service on Easter Sunday, in order that the entire community can hear the invitation they proclaim. It is sort of a metamorphosis for the village.”

He said the project was not only about restoring a part of the church constructing, but additionally about making a “latest community of ringers” around St Mary’s.

He also paid tribute to the local group whose fundraising and practical efforts made the work possible, in addition to to donors, businesses and grant-making trusts that supported the scheme.

After the Easter service, ringers will perform a Quarter Peal lasting around 45 minutes using the sequence referred to as Plain Bob Triples.

Four of those collaborating also rang the ultimate Quarter Peal at St John’s in Porthmadog before that church shut down.