St John’s Church at Hatherleigh is carrying out a survey to ask the community their thoughts on the church’s recent restoration as the church bells toll once more.

The church, which is part of the Diocese of Exeter, has undergone somewhat of a transformation over the last two years to the tune of £500,000 partly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund with matchfunding raised within the community.

Vicar at St John’s Church, the Rev Leigh Winsbury explained that as well as sending the church bells away to Somerset to be refurbished, has also been undertaken on the church roof and the tower which was on the ‘at risk’ register including repointing with lime mortar and replacing deteriorating stones.

All eight bells at St John's church were replaced alongside their wooden frames with a new floor installed for the bellringing chamber. (Picture: Isabella Whitworth)
All eight bells at St John's Church were sent away to be refurbished, with a new floor also being installed for the bellringing chamber. Picture: Isabella Whitworth. ( )

The clock face on the church tower was repainted and reguilded in April, and a new floor added within the tower to give better access for the bellringers.

A new community gym was also installed in the church vestry with new access ramps and rails around the church. The only projects now outstanding are a kitchen and disabled toilet which should be completed by the end of the year.

Rev Winsbury who abseiled down the church tower in August 2022 to raise money for the repairs, said: “It’s been a mix of church people from our lively and committed congregation, but also a lot from the community have been involved on lots of levels. The project has brought back the church into the heart of the community.”

The eight bells has to be transported to Somerset and back to be refurbished with a team on hand to rehang them in the tower. (Picture: Isabella Whitworth)
The eight bells has to be transported to Somerset and back to be refurbished, with a team on hand to rehang them in the tower upon their return. Picture: Isabella Whitworth. ( )

Part of the project was to capture the rich history of the church in a comprehensive online Heritage Hub complete with an interactive 3D virtual tour and a searchable database. The online facility was part of the funding provision, and the survey an integral part in assessing the impact of the funding on the Hatherleigh community.

Work to install new bells and a steel frame to replace the old oak frame in the church tower as well as the new floor to improve access has also been completed much to the delight of the team of bellringers who trialled the new chamber on January 10.

They raised £70,000 to replace the bells and frames which were nearly 100 years old.

Speaking on behalf of the bellringers, Isabella Whitworth said: “We rang for the first service this past Sunday (January 12) and we got a round of applause from the congregation which was rather nice. I think we were all excited and quite emotional.

The old bells were removed and refurbished in Somerset, with a new steel frame installed before the bells were hoisted back in place. (Picture: Isabella Whitworth)
The old bells were removed and refurbished in Somerset, with a new steel frame installed before the bells were hoisted back in place. Picture: Isabella Whitworth. ( )

“We’ve had years of ringing the bells with very long ropes which are hard to control. It’s much easier with the short rope. It’s a really fantastic set of bells and easier to ring.”

The 94-year-old tower clock is still away for refurbishing and the team look forward to hearing the regular quarterly hourly bells on its return.

Volunteers are now undertaking some final fundraising via their usual coffee mornings and bingo to add the finishing touches to their new bellringing chamber including seats, heating and the installation of a training bell which will allow beginners to practise their ringing without a sound being emitted.

Paper copies of the survey are available at the church and it’s also available online via the church’s social media.