The Bells
Defining The Soundscape Of Romney Marsh
Hanging high in the church’s imposing Norman tower, the bells of St Nicholas' Church have rung out across Romney Marsh for centuries, marking the rhythms of both the sacred and the secular in the lives of the community. The tower houses a fine peal of eight bells hung anticlockwise for full-circle ringing, alongside a historic Sanctus bell cast sometime between 1450 and 1499. Striking the tenor bell to mark the hours, the clock remains a centrepiece of the tower; it dates back to 1826, marking its bicentenary in 2026.
Meet the Bells
Click on each bell to hear them and read more
Treble
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Tenor
Sanctus
History of the Bells
The tradition of bell-ringing at St Nicholas Church likely dates back many centuries, perhaps to medieval times, when church bells served as essential tools of communication for the town. They summoned worshippers to prayer, signalled significant moments in the liturgical calendar, and marked major civic events befitting New Romney's status as a Cinque Port. Over the years, they have rung out to celebrate royal occasions, local festivities, and times of peace, while also tolling sombrely to mourn losses and mark solemn remembrances. Each peal is imbued with the memories of the generations on the Marsh who have heard their call.
While the exact date the first bells were installed remains a mystery, their recorded history spans over four centuries:
15th Century: St Nicholas had a ring of 5 that were rung for services and funerals. It is reported that there's a document in Corporation archives - known to be older than 1549 - which specifies the "rule and custome of useing the bells of ye chirches of Saynt Martin and Saynt Nicolas at Romeney accordynge to ye most anyent manner for tyme ourt of mynde of men"
16th Century: Following the decline of Hope All Saints Church, its bells - including our current Sanctus bell - were transferred to St Nicholas.
1685: The bells, then a ring of six, were rehung by John Hodson.
1748: Two additional bells were added, augmenting the ring from six into an 18cwt eight by the bellfounder Robert Catlin. Famously recorded in Thomas Miller's Diary:
May 18th. Our 6 bells took down
13 June 1748 carried away in 3 waggons
Nov. 14th. Our 8 bells came home
Late 18th Century: Ongoing maintenance saw the 5th and 6th bells recast by Pack & Chapman (1776), then the 2nd by Chapman & Mears (1784).
1805–1809: A period of significant restoration by Thomas Mears & Son; the 3rd, 4th, and 7th were recast and the entire ring was rehung. The treble was recast shortly after in 1809.
1909: A major project funded by the Vicar’s son saw bells 4, 7, and 8 recast by Mears & Stainbank. During this restoration, the 15th-century bell from All Saints, Hope was brought out of storage and returned to use as the Sanctus bell.
The new bells 4, 7 and 8 (1909)
The new bells 4, 7 and 8 (1909) with two men believed to be bellringers Percy Page and Hugh Anderson
The old 7th bell being taken away to be melted down and recast. In the corner is a smaller, unidentified bell
1974-1976: The tower was silent as the bells were retuned and rehung in 1975 but considerable structural problems with the tower were discovered and the remedial work extended the hiatus to 1976.
1987-1994: Following the 1987 storm which compounded the structural issues in the tower, the bells were silent during the requisite repairs, finally ringing again on Easter Day 1994.
More details about the bells and their history can be found in Love's Guide To The Church Bells Of Kent