10 April 2026
The bells of St. Mary’s Church in Pembroke have been ringing since the 1760s, but over time they fell into severe disrepair. Thanks to the dedication of a team of volunteers, along with UK Government funding and generous support from local residents, businesses, organisations, and bellringers from around the world, they have been brought back to life. After four years of community effort, the bells have been fully restored, rehung, and are once again ringing out from their historic Norman tower.
Anne Bunker
What brings you to Pembrokeshire?
I moved to Pembrokeshire in 1987 to teach marine and freshwater biology at the Field Studies Council centre, Orielton. I learnt to ring bells in Somerset and joined the band of ringers at St Mary’s Church Pembroke as soon as I moved to Wales.
What is ‘Saving Pembroke’s Bells’ all about and why is this project so special?
‘Saving Pembroke’s Bells’ is a project to save an important part the history and heritage of Pembroke. The traditional art of change ringing and the soundscape of the town are as much part of this as the bells themselves. As well as ringing to announce church services, we ring the bells for civic and state occasions like weddings, funerals, Remembrance Sunday, Climate warning, and coronations. The project is special because it has saved the bells to be enjoyed by people for hundreds of years.
What made you want to lead this?
When I became Tower Captain of the bellringers, the bells had become so difficult to ring and were in such a bad state, there was a choice to either urgently start the huge project of restoring them or leave hundreds of years of history to fall down the Grade 1 listed Norman tower. Peter Hayward, bell hanger, had recently ‘retired’ to the area and offered his help. I did not want the bells to be lost so the project began. It was now or never! As this was a once in a lifetime project, it made sense to improve the sound of the bells. One bell of the eight had always been the wrong note. We have replaced this bell with a new one and added two more. At the beginning we didn’t expect to have to replace all three floors in the tower before the bells could come back. Now the bells are reinstated and sound wonderful. We have kept the old 1784 bell of the wrong note as a teaching bell and are busy teaching new bellringers.
How have the community reacted?
The community of Pembroke told us that they loved hearing the bells and have been very supportive of the project. They have made donations and helped and supported our fundraising events. Since the bells started ringing we have received many messages saying how much people are enjoying hearing them ringing again.
Have there been any particularly memorable moments for you along this journey?
The day the bells left the church on a flatbed lorry in April 2024, headed for Blyth & Co Church Bell Specialists in Newark was a significant moment on the journey. Our trip to Loughborough to witness the birth of the three new bells was special. We watched the molten metal being poured into the moulds at the John Taylor Bell Foundry. Each day of working with the volunteer team gave us hope that one day the bells would ring again. When we heard that the Government money we had been promised had finally been authorised by Pembrokeshire County Council after two years of waiting, we knew we could make it to the finish line.
The return of the bells in January this year, along with the new ones, was particularly memorable, not least because of the pouring rain that continued all morning while we carefully unloaded the precious cargo. An open day and service in January to welcome home the bells demonstrated the huge support and following the project has generated. People came to see the bells from all over the country and the church was full all day. Local folk group The Varifolkals wrote and performed a song about the bells. Footage of the test ring filmed by Welsh media company Telesgop was shown The One Show on Good Friday 3rd April. You can see it on iPlayer, 24 minutes in.
On Easter Monday ten ringers rang the first ever peal on 10 bells at St Mary’s Pembroke, marking the beginning of a new chapter of history and the continuation of the art of change ringing in Pembroke. The ringers included the donors of the new bells, people involved in the project and ringers of the St Davids Diocesan Guild of Bellringers.
When can visitors hear the bells and how can they find out more?
Visitors can hear the bells every Friday evening from 7:30 to 9pm when we have our regular practice and before Sunday morning services (9 to 9:30 am for the 9:30am service or 10:30 to 11am for the 11am service on the second Sunday of the month). You might also hear one or two bells on Tuesday evenings when we are teaching people to ring.
Why not plan an evening stroll round the mill pond or sit in the church yard garden and watch the swallows and swifts while the bells are ringing?
You can find out more about the project on our website https://pembrokebellrestoration.wales/
We still have work to do to stop water coming in the tower and to imrove access, re-wire, make new windows and redecorate, so donations are welcome.
