The Bell Tower was built in 1515 and took 40 years to build. It stands 97ft tall above the quaint Suffolk market town of Beccles. The tower was sold to Beccles Town Council in 1972 and is now under the control of Waveney District Council and the Beccles Business Association. In 2001 the base of the tower was renovated with new windows and toughened glass doors, shortly afterwards, the tower formally opened to visitors and now has a fully operational Tourist Information Center in the base. Here you are able to obtain information on all aspects of tourism throughout the town, the Waveney Valley, Lowestoft & Bungay as well as the Suffolk Heritage Coast.
There are 122 steps that lead to the roof of the tower. The first floor is the Ringing Chamber where the 10 bells are rung from, above this is the The Clock Room – also called ‘the attic’ – which is where the clock mechanism is housed along with other bits of equipment. The next floor is the Bell Chamber (or Bellfry) where the bells themselves are kept, these ring out the chimes for the clock. At the top of the tower is the roof where you can see up to 20 miles on a clear day.
Tours to the roof take place on a regular basis from Easter to late September.
The Bell Tower is a non-profit organisation that donates all profits to the upkeep of the church buildings as well as other local causes such as the Christmas Light Fund.
Contact the Bell Tower
Tel: 01502 712109
Email: becclesbelltower@hotmail.co.uk
The Bell Tower cannot guarantee that all openings will take place due to the voluntary nature of the staff as well as the bell’s requirement for weddings, funerals or maintenance. There may also be times where the roof might be closed to the public due to adverse weather conditions such as high winds rain or lightning.
