Alnwick, St Michael. Tower Repairs and New BellsThe PCC, St Michael, Alnwick

This is a project to remove three unringable bells and frame and install 10 bells and carry out roof and tower repairs. Six of the bells were refurbished and came from Newton Hall, St James, nr Corbridge and an additional newly cast set of four. Two of the redundant bells were put on display is the south aisle and the remaining recycled by the Kelteck Trust. St Michael’s church is grade 1 and described as an ‘architectural gem’. The bells have enhanced the standing of the church and it now has a thriving bell ringing community.

We coordinated the delivery and erection of the bells around the tower repair works, often adjusting the works schedule to fit around bell hanger matters. There was a pressing need to be ready for St Michael’s Day celebrations, which we achieved with 2 weeks to spare.

A major enhancement of the project was the archaeological recording of the historic lead roof graffiti. This lead to genealogy research which linked names to families and individuals associated with the church since Georgian times.