The bells of St Swithun’s Great Chishill have rung out over
the village and surrounding countryside for hundreds of years, but fell into disrepair in the ‘70s. The four oldest bells were cast in 1686, and the fifth in 1841. The bells and their fittings were renovated in 1999 such that they could be rung to see in the new Millenium, but it was always accepted that that would be a temporary measure until such time as sufficient funds could be raised for a total and complete restoration. Fund raising continued until we were confident enough to take the plunge and have all the fixtures and fittings replaced, the bells taken down, re-tuned and re-hung and a new 6^th bell complete with its own steel frame installed. The total cost was £105,000 most of which was raised by donation by local people. We still need to raise money for continuing maintenance and to make modifications to the ringing area as there has been surge of fresh interest in ringing and we now need more
space.