PARISHIONERS watched history in the making as their Eden village church's new bells were cast from molten metal.

A party from St Patrick's Church at Bampton, near Shap, saw the hot metal being poured into moulds at Britain's last remaining bell foundry, John Taylor and Co in Loughborough.

The Rev Alun Hurd blessed the metal to be "pure and true" and to "ring in joy and sorrow", and prayed that bellringers' efforts "may call out now and for hundreds of years to come in their sacred task".

PCC member David Pitt, a leading light in the appeal to raise £90,000 for the ring of six bells, described

seeing the molten metal being poured into the moulds as "a truly remarkable and deeply moving sight".

Parishioners climbed a spiral staircase to a viewing platform high above the foundry floor, to watch as their vicar blessed the bells, to be called Bampton, Bomby, Burnbanks, Butterwick, Knipe and Lowther.

The historic occasion came almost a year after the Bampton Bell Appeal was launched to restore the quintessentially English sound of pealing church bells to St Patrick's.

The church's five 18th century bells were last rung properly 43 years ago to bid farewell to the old county of Westmorland.

Since that final peal on March 29, 1974, their ancient oak frame and the crumbling walls of the cobweb-strewn belfry have meant the bells are no longer safe for full-circle ringing - the 360-degree rotation that makes the distinctive pealing sound.

Inspired by a revival of interest in the centuries-old tradition, campaigners set out to raise enough money to restore the old bells, so they can continue to strike the church clock, and install a new ring of six bells, to peal out over the Lowther Valley for generations to come.

Parishioners are hoping the new bells will be installed in early December. In the meantime, Bampton's church clock is to fall silent for several weeks as the Edwardian mechanism is removed and overhauled by specialists from the Cumbria Clock Company, at Dacre, who have worked on Big Ben in London.

Renwick Brothers of Penrith will also be taking out the old belfry floor later this month.

Parishioner Mr Pitt told the Gazette that seeing the new bells cast was "a truly wonderful day, never to be forgotten". He added: "Now there will be much excitement while we await the delivery and installation of the new bells. Will it be “Ding, dong merrily on high” at Christmas? We hope so."

If you would like to donate towards the cost of the new tenor bell - named Lowther - visit www.bamptonlakedistrict.org.uk/bampton-bell-appeal.html