A RESTORED church bell that was damaged with a hammer more than 140 years ago - will chime correctly this Friday.

The restored bell, which dates back to 1686, was winched back into the belfry of St Michael's Church in Llanfihangel y Creuddyn last week after being repaired.

The bell, which was cast by William and Thomas Covey of Limerick in Ireland, was damaged at a wedding in 1878, when members of the wedding party hit the bell with a hammer in the hope of making it ting louder.

This broke part of the bells rim. And the broken pieces were placed on the windowsill next in the church tower. The bell continued to be rung until recent decades.

Bell Llanfihangel
The repaired bell returning to the belfry (Scott Waby)

Since 2019 a church and community project has undertaken the latest phase of repairs and improvements to the church.

With grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the National Churches Trust, Ceredigion County Council, the Wolfson Foundation, the Headley Trust, the Church in Wales, the local community and the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, supported by the Cynnal y Cardi Fund via Ceredigion County Council.

During this period repairs to the church addressed serious problems of damp by stopping water leaking through the tower into the church and by replacing the existing heating system.

This work included repointing the south and west face of the tower with hot-lime mortar.

Access was also improved by installing new stairs to provide safe public access in the form of ‘tower tours’ up the tower to the belfry. A new history area was also created in the south transept where interpretation and exhibits are now on display.

Bell
The bell has been restored (Scott Waby)

During work on the tower the bell was taken out of the bell frame and lowered down into the church. A few months ago the bell and the broken pieces were transported to Soundweld bell repair in Suffolk. Here the broken pieces were pinned in place and the bell was placed in a hot oven and melted bronze poured into the cracks to glue everything together.

Last Thursday it was delivered back to the church and raised back up to the belfry, where the Carpenter Piers Lance has fitted a new wooden headstock for it to hang from.

This Friday 29 November a celebration marks it’s return and the bell will be rung for the first time. Local Historian Geral Morgan will commemorate its return and music will be provided by Ysgol Llanfihangel y Creuddyn and Merched Bro’r Mwyn. The event starts at 6pm and All Welcome.