Bells from Prinknash sold for £38,000

The peal of eight bells from Prinknash Abbey, Gloucestershire, have been sold to the Keltek Trust, a charity that acts as a “dating agency” for parishes seeking new bells for their churches, writes Paul Wilkinson.

The peal, which failed to reach its auction estimate of £60,000 at a sale last month, was subsequently sold privately to the trust for £38,000. David Kelly, the trust secretary, said the bells will be stored until a new owner can be found.

The bells, which were cast more than 80 years ago by Taylor’s of Lough­borough, were never hung at Prinknash as a planned belfry was never built.

A spokesman for the abbey said: “They decided it was a waste to have them sitting in store, when there may be a church or organisation that could give them a new home.”