Bellflowermews, Horsted Keynes

6 bells, 2lb 12oz in G♭

(Click here for performances rung on the bells) 

In 2018, Oliver Watson came into possession of the Bellflowermews. Consisting of six ceramic bells, hung in a timber frame, the ring itself has been in existance since the late 1990's, when they were hung in Tewkesbury, before moving to Stoke Orchard in Gloucestershire. Originally a ring of four, they were augmented to five and finally to six in time for their move to Haywards Heath in 2018. In 2022 the bells were put into storage before being hung in Aylsham breifly. Somewhat uniquely, the Bellflowermews were hung in a frame above that of The Campanile, then known as The John of Gaunt Ring. While at Aylsham, the ropes fell within the circle of The John of Gaunt Ring, and rung very occasionally by members of the Society of Aylsham Campanile Youths.
During tolling to mark the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8th September 2023, the tenor of the Bellflowermews cracked. The bells were rarely rung from this point onwards before being removed from Aylsham in 2025 and taken back to their original home of Stoke Orchard, to undergo a full overhaul.

The 2025 restoration of the Bellflowermews saw the replacement of the back three bells, and retuning of all the bells to better match each other. The treble, which had been used in every iteration of the ring since it's creation in 1999, was retained as the treble of the restored ring. The bells were rehung on new ball-bearings, and the pulleys of all the bells rebuilt in the 'floor' position rather than their original 'top' positioning. The frame of the fifth and tenor was strengthened and rebuilt, and the fifth provided with a new wheel. A new set of ropes were manufactured. The bells are scheduled to be hung in Horsted Keynes during 2026, their sixth location.