St Giles's (Lincoln) 70th Anniversary


The Seventieth Anniversary of the bells of St Giles, Lincoln

When the church of St Peter at Arches was demolished, many of the fixtures and fittings were transferred to the new church of St Giles, which was built on a new estate to the east of the city. An estimate was submitted by the Loughborough bell foundry for transferring the eight bells to St Swithin’s church, which was in the city centre not far from the site of St Peter’s; but this did not materialise.  It was later proposed to distribute them as two rings of four bells.   Fortunately, after a campaign initiated by 19-year old Jack Chambers, the bells were transferred to St Giles's church, Lincoln, and they were dedicated by the Bishop of Lincoln on Whit Sunday 5 June 1938.

Jack and his brothers Sidney and Neville became ringers, and all three of them rang in the first peal on the bells in their new home.

The seventieth anniversary of the dedication of the bells was celebrated by a peal on Friday 6 June, and the Parish Communion service on Sunday 8 June also commemorated this event.

Three of the hymns sung during the service had bells and bell ringers as their theme and the organist, Louis Paul, played the Bell Symphony by Henry Purcell and Carillon de Westminster by Louis Vierne.

JRK

The peal link is to the report on Campanophile.