East Bergholt - Bell Cage

This weekend is Heritage Open Days, last year we visited some local historic buildings and this year we were in Suffolk so visited a couple here. We visited Mistley Towers, the twin towers of the now demolished Church of St. Mary the Virgin at Mistley in Essex and Freston Tower, a six-storey Tudor folly that looks out over the River Orwell, just south of Ipswich. Built in about 1550

We then had our own little heritage day and visited East Bergholt where you can find a ring of 5 bells not in a church tower but in 'cage' in the churchyard! The building of a bell tower was started in 1525 with assistance promised by Cardinal Wolsey, but his downfall cut short any help and the work ceased in 1530. The Bell Cage was erected as a temporary measure in 1531 and the bells have been in regular use ever since and are still rung to this day! As a ringer of Church bells in a tower the way these are rung scares the pants off me, we didn't see them ringing but they would be so loud!

We visited Wrabness and Wix where there are also have bell cages but with only one bell and neither are still rung.