Over 200 people gathered to celebrate the blessing and baptism of two newly recast church bells.
Crowds gathered in the Market Square of Waltham Abbey as the Bishop of Barking, the Right Reverend Peter Hill conducted the ceremony on Friday, February 7.
Waltham Abbey Church’s new bells were named Shadrach and Meshach, as they had come out of the “burning fiery furnace”.
The original bells, which dated from 1806, were recast at Taylor’s Bell Foundry in Loughborough in November before arriving back on the day of the ceremony.
Waltham Abbey Town Mayor Cllr Antony Watts was one of the first people to officially ring the newly blessed bells
Waltham Abbey Town Mayor, Cllr Anthony Watts, town councillors; Epping Forest District Council Chairman, Cllr Richard Bassett and 60 students from Leverton primary School attended the baptism.
An inscription listing all the names of those helped contributed to the cost and work is also on the new bells.
As the Rector of Waltham Abbey, the Revd Peter Smith, began the service, saying how the bells are part of the soundscape and community of the town.
The Bishop was assisted by two schoolkids and by the Cllr Watts to place the holy water on the recast bells before they were officially rang for the first time.
A pupil from Leverton Primary School was given the honour to baptise the bells with Holy Water
The bells stayed on public display in Waltham Abbey Church over the weekend with plans to rehang them this week.
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