Arrival of the 3 smaller Jubilee Bells in 1890

History of the Beetham Bells

1663 Earliest recorded bell at Beetham.  Founder unknown 

1684 'Middle bell' cast at Kendal by William Whitwell.  First recorded use of the bell-house in Kendal Churchyard

1748 'Great bell' recast at Gloucester by Abel Rudhall

1880 The two earliest bells were recast by Taylor of Loughborough

1890 3 new smaller bells added (2 at an upper level) by Mears & Stainbank of the Whitechapel foundry

1999 All six bells re-hung in a new steel frame on one level by Taylor 

Learning to Ring

If you can count to six and would like to learn to ring at Beetham, please come and see us in the Belltower on a Sunday morning between 10.30-10.55, contact Jenny on 015395 62559, or come along to our practice night on a Monday between 7.00-8.00pm (please check the What's On page in case of cancellation).

Beetham Hand Bells

Originally used to practice Tower Bell methods without disturbing the community, Beetham has a lovely set of thirty seven handbells.  Two octaves are thought to have been made at the same time as the Mears and Stainbank tower bells, and in recent years these have been augmented with a further eleven Whitechapel handbells.

There is a thriving handbell group, meeting every Thursday evening.  The team regularly performs at local care homes, festivals and rallies, and is in great demand at Christmas for a number of events.  Each player generally plays one bell in each hand, but the smaller bells can be rung (with some practice!) with two bells in each hand