Ding, Dong! Merrily on High is a very appropriate name for our model which has been inspired by the unusual detached bell tower at the church of St Bartholomew that houses five bells. The words of this popular carol were written by G R Woodward (1848-1934) but the tune is French and dates back to the sixteenth century.
Similar detached towers exist in the surrounding area and they are believed to have been used in defence against the Welsh in more turbulent times. The lower level of the tower is of sandstone rubble construction and sates back to the thirteeth century: close-studded timber-framed upper level, however, is a much later sixteenth-century addition.