St Peter & St Paul Shiplake, Oxfordshire

BELL RESTORATION PROJECT

Shiplake Church bells have rung out over the village for more than 400 years.  They continue to be rung by an enthusiastic band whose ages range between 11 and 80+ for all principal services, as well as weddings and special occasions. Our tower is one of the leading facilities in the South East for teaching the unique English art of bellringing (campanology), and we won the prestigious Founder's prize in 2006 for the best UK 'Ringing Centre'.

However........

The bells are becoming increasingly difficult to ring well and tonally they leave a lot to be desired.

The current Shiplake Bells in their wooden frame

So....

We are aiming to protect the future of this valuable heritage by installing a completely new ring of bells.

The new bells will be the very finest examples of the 21st centrury bell-founder's art, cast by the famous Whitechapel Bell Foundry, hung in a new metal frame built to a modern design.

New ring of bells in a metal frame (picture copyright of Whites of Appleton)

And......

We need YOUR help to succeed with this transformation by making a personal contribution to this unique project.

How much will it cost?

The total project is estimated to cost approximately £90,000, of which £51,000 is for the new bells and their fittings, £20,000 is for the new frame and the remainder for other works including dismantling of the old bells and installation of the new ring.

Please look at the Project in more Detail as this describes the background and the progress to date.

How can you help?

Obviously we need money to complete the task before us so any personal donation you might like to make would be most welcome.

Donations over £250 will be commemorated on a plaque in the tower.

Alternatively you may consider donating the whole costs of a bell on behalf of your family, a deceased loved one or even your company.

The new bells donated in this way may have short, appropriate and approved inscriptions cast into them, for example "Donated by....." or "re-cast in memory of...."

This is truly a unique British way of leaving a legacy for hundreds of years to come.

Donating an individual Bell - what do they cost?

How to make a Donation

Donations of any size may be made but remember that if you are a UK taxpayer PLEASE fill in a gift aid form with your details as it will increase the value of your gift significantly.

The simplest way to do this is to complete the Gift Aid Donation form and send it to:

"Shiplake with Dunsden PCC Bell Fund"
c/o John Penrose
PCC Treasurer
Springfield House
Mill Road
Shiplake
RG9 3LW

If you would like to discuss a potential donation or would like more information then please contact:

Bob Partridge (Project Co-ordinator) on 0118 940 1907

or

Cyril Crouch (Tower Captain) on 0118 940 2704