Welcome to Pettaugh
But St Mary is that rare thing in Suffolk, an estate church. At the west end of the graveyard is a large ornamental lake; a herd of deer graze among the trees beside it, and beyond that is the splendid pile of Helmingham Hall, home of the Tollemache family for, ooh, generations ...
The Church of St Mary, standing on the edge of Helmingham Park, is known to have existed in 1258. The fine western tower was completed in 1543, and the Tollemache arms appear in many places on it. The plinth has the inscription: “scandit ad ethera virgo puerpera virgula jesse” (the Virgin Mother, branch of Jesse's stem, ascends to heaven). The south porch is of the same date, but the south doorway is early thirteenth century.
It was in 1488 that John Tollemache signed the contract for the building of the tower with the Helmingham church-wardens, and he paid for the tower at a cost of £30.
The church itself is filled with beautiful and magnificent memorials to a number of generations of the Tollemache family, including a large tomb with a verse describing four generations of the family. These were cleaned and renovated in 1976 in memory of John, 4th Lord Tollemache, who had brought Helmingham back to life in the 1950s and who died in 1975.
The Waterloo Eight Bells
The eight bell peal was originally installed in 1816 as a gift from Wilbraham Tollemache, 6th Earl of Dysart, who resided at Helmingham Hall, to commemorate the battle of Waterloo in 1815, which ended over twenty years of war with France.
The bells were hung in an oak frame mounted high up in the early 16th century church tower. The work was completed on 12 June 1816 and was accompanied by two days of celebration. The Deer Park was thrown open to the public and over 1,000 people and 135 ringers enjoyed the lavish hospitality of ox roasts and refreshments provided by the Earl.
The bells enjoyed fame nationwide and were rung constantly from 1816 until they fell silent in 2001. Excessive movement of the 185 year old oak bell frame was causing damage to the tower and ringing had to be stopped.
Helmingham used to be one of the leading bell towers in the country and it is now our intention to restore England/s heritage by refurbishing and remounting the eight bell peal. In 2015 we plan to invite bell ringers from far and wide to celebrate the bicentenary of the commissioning of the Waterloo bells.
L to R: George Whiting, William Last, George Bennett, Lester Brett, William Whiting, James Bennett Jr, George Pryke, Albert Whiting, Leslie Wightman
The Helmingham Band of the 1930's was almost entirely made up of estate workers and merits special mention for pushing the boundaries of Surprise Major Ringing to new levels.
The Helmingham Church Bells are part of England's heritage and we are keen to preserve the unique English art form of Bell Ringing in which the eight bell peal at Helmingham has played such an important role in the past.
The refurbishment plan has been approved by English Heritage and the Suffolk Guild of Bellringers.
The renovation of the bells and bell frame will be carried out by Whitechapel Bell Foundry Ltd, with masonry work by John Younger Ltd of Sudbury.
Turning and tuning eight bells |
£1,632 |
New fittings for eight bells |
£31,352 |
New bell frame |
£27,772 |
Guide ropes and pulleys |
£1,435 |
Site work |
£14,964 |
TOTAL COST |
£77,155 |
Please sponsor this work with a donation, however small. A 'Sponsor's Board' will be on permanent display in the ringing chamber. If you are a UK tax payer, the tax on your sponsorship can be reclaimed, thus helping the project still further.
The Rev Patrick Cotton Rector
Dr Peter Haas Churchwarden
Mr Melvyn Blower Churchwarden
Mrs Doris Haas Hon Secretary
Mr Alan Cutting Hon Treasurer
Tel: 01728 860866
Email: alan.cutting@pageforward.co.uk
See also:
EADT article about the bells
Suffolk Churches website for more about this and other churches
Helmingham Hall Gardens website
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