Sound of church bells returns to City of London

The Bishop of London, Dr Richard Chartres, visited the Church of St Magnus the Martyr at London Bridge earlier in the week to lend his support to a four-year campaign to restore the sound of church bells across the City of London.

In a ceremony attended by the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Dr Chartres consecrated the bells on the floor of the church before witnessing their reinstatement in the church tower.

The tower at St Magnus the Martyr church has been empty since the bells were removed for safety reasons in 1940. Sixty nine years on, and after a successful campaign to raise £300,000, the bells have now been restored to the once famous bell tower.

Trustee Secretary of the Bells Fund, Dickon Love said, “Today was the culmination of a long process of campaigning to reinstate a long lost part of the City's heritage.

“With the return of the bells to St Magnus the Martyr I hope to promote the ancient art of bell ringing in the City and to ensure that these bells ring for many generations of Londoners to come.”

Plans to create a training ground for bell-ringing at the church are now underway.

The project to restore the bells to St Magnus the Martyr was supported by the Ancient Society of College Youths, the leading society of bell ringers in the City, and the Diocese of London.