Records of bell ringing at Worth go back to 1684, and bell ringing remains part of our weekly routine. Click here for information on joining us!
The bell tower at St Nicholas’ Church, Worth is a Victorian construction replacing an earlier building which rested on tree trunks! There is a note from 1684 that the church had 3 bells but that then an additional bell was added. The bells were re-cast in 1844 to form a peal of 6 and then again, by Gillett and Johnston of Croydon, in 1928. Since 1928, only routine maintenance was needed until 1997, when major work on the bells was carried out. Pulleys, wheels and clappers were removed and taken to the foundry for refurbishment, they were then refitted and the bells rehung. The bells are still hung in the oak frame dating from the 1844 installation, which sits on the belfry floor 1.5m (5ft)above the ringers’ heads but this was strengthened in 1997.
The largest bell, the tenor, is 91cm (3ft) in diameter and weighs 489kg (9cwt 2qrts and 14lbs). Its note is A, the whole ring being harmonically tuned in the key of A. The total weight of bells in the tower is over 36cwt.
Worth Parish 