By Imitha Nkwintya and ‘Maleruo Leponesa
For generations the sound of the cathedral bells has been woven into the daily rhythm of Makhanda life; a timeless call to worship and a symbol of community. But for the past few years, those familiar chimes have been silent. Now, thanks to a dedicated restoration effort, the bells are set to ring once more.
Makhanda’s cathedral is home to Africa’s first peal of bells, originally cast by John Warner & Sons in London in 1878. When the cathedral’s tower and spire were completed, it was the tallest building in South Africa. The original eight bells were later expanded to 10 in 1996, with two new additions from the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London. The largest, or “tenor,” weighs over 1 270kg, making it the heaviest bell in Africa.
Dr Cameron Luke, who oversees the current project, explains that bell ringing in the English style has a long but sometimes interrupted history in Makhanda. “Over the years there have been times when the bells fell silent; once because the original oak frame had become unsound and ringing risked damaging the tower itself,” he says. “A new steel frame was installed in 1996 to ensure the bells could be rung safely once more.”
In more recent years, the cathedral bells have again fallen silent. “Ringing bells safely requires a trained and committed team,” Luke notes. “We had started recruiting and training new ringers in 2019, but when Covid-19 shut everything down in 2020, all progress stopped. It’s been hard to rebuild momentum since.”
As the bells remained unused for several years, safety checks on the tower, bell frame, and bells themselves became essential before ringing could resume. Those assessments have now been completed.
Bells are rung in intricate mathematical sequences known as “methods”, in a practice called English Change Ringing. A full sequence on eight bells, known as a peal, can produce 5 040 unique combinations and take about three hours to ring: a demanding exercise in rhythm, memory, and teamwork.
The revival of the bells comes at a fitting time in the year the cathedral is marking 200 years of worship on its historic site. “The bicentenary celebrations gave fresh impetus to get the bells ringing again,” says Luke. “We’re finalising the maintenance work now, and once that’s complete, we can begin teaching a new team of ringers.”
With the final checks nearing completion, Makhanda may soon hear the joyful sound of its bells once again, after nearly five years of silence. When they do, the ringing will not only signal the start of worship but also the renewal of a rich heritage of sound, skill, and community that has echoed across centuries.
