If you are in or around Badby on Saturday 12th December, you may want to stop and listen.
An expert team of diocesan bellringers will be attempting a full peal of 5,040 changes on the six bells of St Mary’s Church, Badby, beginning at 10am and continuing for approximately three hours and 15 minutes.
It is a particularly special occasion for the village as this will be the first full peal using the church’s new bell headstocks and fittings.
For anyone interested in local history, church bells or simply hearing a rather impressive sound carry across the village, this is an unusual local event worth knowing about.
Event Details
Date: Saturday 12th December 2026
Time: 10am to approximately 1.15pm
Location: St Mary’s Church
Address: Church Hill, Badby, Daventry, NN11 3AR
Cost: Free
The ringing is expected to continue without interruption for around three hours and 15 minutes, provided the band successfully completes the peal.
What is a full peal?
Church bellringing is rather more complicated than simply ringing the bells one after another.
The ringers follow carefully arranged sequences known as changes, continually altering the order in which the bells sound.
For the Badby peal, the team will attempt an impressive 5,040 changes across the church’s six bells.
Completing a peal requires concentration, stamina and close teamwork from every ringer involved.
Once it begins, there is no stopping for a cup of tea halfway through.
A special moment for Badby’s bells
This particular peal has an extra significance for St Mary’s.
The church’s bells returned to the tower in March 2026 with new headstocks and fittings, following improvement work designed to make them easier and more accurate to ring.
The diocesan team had originally hoped to perform the peal in December 2025, but the bells were unexpectedly still out of the tower at the time.
Saturday 12th December will therefore mark the first opportunity for a complete peal using the newly fitted bells.
Six bells with centuries of history
Bellringing has been part of life at St Mary’s for generations.
The church has a ring of six bells, including several with remarkable histories.
Some of Badby’s bells date back as far as 1623, while others were cast or added during later centuries.
That means the sound heard across the village this December will be coming from bells that have marked local occasions for hundreds of years.
Can you go along and listen?
Yes.
There is no ticket or booking required, and the peal is free to enjoy.
Unlike a concert where everyone needs to sit in one place, the sound of the church bells will naturally carry across Badby.
You can simply listen from around the village while the peal is taking place.
Anyone specifically hoping to enter the church or bell tower should check with St Mary’s beforehand, as the public listing does not state that those areas will be open during the peal.
Where is St Mary’s Church?
The bells will be ringing at:
St Mary’s Church
Church Hill
Badby
Daventry
NN11 3AR
The church sits above the village, making its bells a familiar part of the Badby soundscape.
If you are travelling into the village specifically to hear the peal, please park considerately and be mindful of residents around Church Hill.
Discover more local events
Our villages are full of traditions that can be very easy to miss unless somebody tells you they are happening.
From church bells and village celebrations to Christmas events, markets and family days, we enjoy sharing some of the local occasions that give our communities their character.
Keep an eye on the Campbells community events pages for more local dates worth knowing about.
