|
|
Chord Investments, in conjunction with The Royal Bank of Scotland, has kick-started a £100,000 campaign to bring bells to St Paul’s Church in the Jewellery Quarter for the first time.
The Grade I-listed church steeple, built in 1823 – nearly 50 years after the church itself – has remained silent for approaching 200 years as the cost of purchasing and installing bells has proved prohibitive.
In November this year, Reverend Tom Pyke launched an appeal to “bring a voice to the Jewellery Quarter”.
The vicar, who has been in post for five years and learned bell ringing at school, is supported by the St Martin’s Guild of Bell Ringers. Established in 1755, the voluntary organisation has a national reputation for bell ringing. The Guild is responsible for bell ringing in the whole of the Birmingham diocese. As part of its 250th anniversary next year, the Guild is backing the St Paul’s campaign and aims to use the newly installed bells to train newcomers to the art.
The £100,000 fundraiser will allow St Paul’s to install ten bells, ranging in weight from 2cwt – 12cwt and costing between £6,000 - £20,000 each. In addition, the cash will help fund restoration works to the bell tower and bring back into use a schoolroom located under the belfry.
Chord Investments, based on St Paul’s Square, has donated £20,000 for a bell, which will be named in the company’s honour.
The commercial and residential property developer has two sites in the Jewellery Quarter. It will be building 43 new apartments in George Street, and converting the Thomas Walker building on St Paul’s Square into 160 new homes, with ground floor shops and offices. The developments are funded in association with The Royal Bank of Scotland.
|
|
|
|
Geoff Shuttleworth, director at Chord, said: “As a Jewellery Quarter-based company, with residential developments in the area, we are keen to back this initiative.
“St Paul’s was built and supported by Birmingham’s great industrialists, including Matthew Boulton and James Watt. It is fitting that those of us who now make a living in the area contribute to this exciting project. We invite other local businesses to do the same.”
Neil Cooper, manager, property finance at The Royal Bank of Scotland, added: “It is important to recognise that we are not only an economic partner in the city but also a community partner. As such we are pleased to have contributed to the appeal.”
Chord is the campaign’s first corporate sponsor. Reverend Pyke has also been pledged £24,000 by private donors.
He said: “St Paul’s is at the gateway to the Jewellery Quarter and a symbol of its historic past. As more and more people move into the area, the bells will mark the start of a new era and a call to worship for a new generation of city livers.
“Chord’s contribution means we are more than a third of the way to achieving our target, less than two months after we launched the campaign. We are well on the way to marking St Martin’s Guild of Church Bell Ring’s 250th anniversary next year.” |
|
