Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers

Teaching Started

Richmond's new recruits, Saturday 1st August 2026, attending their first bell handling lesson.

Ron Shepherd

Installation of the bells

After 183 years a peal of bells has now rung out from St Peter's Anglican Church Richmond bell tower, which was completed in 1842. This was a test ring on 5 July 2025. It is a lovely location with doors opening from the ringing chamber onto the churchyard. The test ring exposed some light set and odd struck bells, and the front two bells were difficult to hear. However, the back six sounded excellent.

Since then we have made various adjustments including adding extra weights to the clappers of the two trebles. All eight bells sound loud and clear now and work has started on the sound control required prior to a final inspection from Hawkesbury Council.

Final approvals, applied for from the parish, Heritage NSW and Hawkesbury Council over the last five years, all of which have applied their own conditions came through six weeks ago. Since then a local builder installed the frame and lifted the bells into the tower. A very young (at heart) group of volunteers, Alan Glover, Jim Doyle, myself and David Hobbs made some of the fittings, attached wheels, pulleys, sliders, ropes and painted the frame ready for the test ring.

Ron Shepherd
19 July 2025

The Bells

The bells pictured above are planned for St Peter's Richmond. Bells 1, 2 and 5 have been donated by bell ringers, with the treble cast by Taylors on 12 March 2020. Bells 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8 were donated by the Keltek Trust, sourced from various places. A recording of the eight bells following tuning may be found here.

For more information, see Ringing Towers, Winter 2020.