October 2025 In September, the stonemason from Spectrum Stone returned to the church to complete the work on the stonework in the windows. Stone used was sourced from Peterborough and France. The window under repair in the workshop The stonemason at work on one of the windows Once the stonework was completed, the glazier returned […]
Category: Restoration
Restoration of the north aisle windows
August 2025 The three windows in the north aisle have long been in need of repair and restoration. All of them had multiple broken and missing leaded lights. The leading throughout was weak and the outside ferramenta bars badly corroded and, in places, extremely worn and thin. In addition, the some of the stonework was […]
Display of the ancient clappers
25th February 2025 When the bells were restored in the Foundry, they each received a new clapper. The original ones, some over 300 years old were brought back to the church. After some time of thinking how best to display them, we consulted a local blacksmith and he designed and made a floor standing frame […]
Visiting Ringers
Ist February, 2025 We welcomed a group of bellringers from Bardwell Church to the tower on a Sunday afternoon.
SuffolkGuild of Ringers : Tour of the Towers
28th September, 2024 As part of a fundraising initiative run by The Suffolk Guild of Ringers, Westhorpe was asked to be one of the towers to be visited in a day-long, County-wide journey calling in at thirty-one towers to ring the bells for thirty minutes. This event was advertised nationally and participants came from far […]
Service of Rededication of the Bells
4th September 2024 In Wednesday, 4th September, 2024 the Service of Rededication of the Bells took place at 6.00 pm in the church with over a hundred people attending. Invited guests included Sir Terry Waite, Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch and Simon Adams, Director of John Taylor’s Bell Foundry as well as members of the Suffolk Guild […]
Rededication of the Bells 4th September 2024
4th September 2024 In Wednesday, 4th September, 2024 the Service of Rededication of the Bells took place at 6.00 pm in the church with over a hundred people attending. Invited guests included Sir Terry Waite, Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch and Simon Adams, Director of John Taylor’s Bell Foundry as well as members of the Suffolk Guild […]
Test ring on 1st May, 2024
Ist May 2024 Following the completion of John Taylors’ work, a test ring took place on the afternoon of 1st May. Eighteen experienced bell ringers came to Westhorpe as well as other visitors. It was a thrill to hear the bells being rung for the first time. The picture below shows Nathan and Paul, bell […]
The bells are in the belfry
April 3rd and 4th, 2024 The Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich took time out of his busy Easter schedule to visit St Margaret’s to hallow the bells with holy oil. We look forward to his return in September for our Rededication Service. On Easter Saturday, an open church morning attracted almost 100 village residents […]
The Arrival of the Bells
Wednesday, 27th March It was a thrilling moment to see the low loader making its way through the village street early on Wednesday morning with our restored bells. And magnificent they looked too with their graphite coating and poppy red headstocks. The unloading seemed to be carried out remarkably quickly. One bell at a time […]