THE BELL TOWER OF ST MARY'S CHURCH, PEMBRIDGE, HEREFORDSHIRE

Pembridge in Herefordshire is home to one of the earliest surviving timber bell towers in the country. Survey work was undertaken on the structure in 1997, funded by a grant from English Heritage, and the detailed measured survey, combined with the dendrochronology undertaken on the timbers, has established that the original tower dates from between 1207 and 1223 and that part of a contemporary roof may survive. The work also showed that the ambulatory surrounding the lower part of the structure was constructed in 1471 or shortly after, and that a major reframing of the tower and bell frame was undertaken in 1668/9. This article considers the early construction and development of the tower and discusses its national context.