Saint George's Memorial Church, Ypres (Ieper),

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, was built to commemorate over 500,000 British and Commonwealth troops, who had died in the three battles fought for the

Ypres Salient The Ypres Salient around Ypres in Belgium was the scene of several battles and an extremely important part of the Western front during the First World War. Ypres district Ypres lies at the junction of the Ypres–Comines Canal and the Ieperlee ...

, during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. It was completed in 1929. The church was built following an appeal led by

The Ypres League The Ypres League was a British World War I veterans and remembrance society. It was founded on 28 September 1920 to act as a brotherhood for veterans of the battles of the Ypres Salient, to remember those who died there, and to aid pilgrims traveli ...

and its President Field Marshal Sir John French, Earl of Ypres, for a British memorial church to be built. Land was given by the town, and the foundation stone was laid by Field Marshal Lord Plumer on 24 July 1927. The church was consecrated by the Bishop of Fulham on 24 March 1929. The architect was

Sir Reginald Blomfield Sir Reginald Theodore Blomfield (20 December 1856 – 27 December 1942) was a prolific British architect, garden designer and author of the Victorian and Edwardian period. Early life and career Blomfield was born at Bow rectory in Devon, w ...

whose work included the

Menin Gate The Menin Gate ( nl, Menenpoort), officially the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, is a war memorial in Ypres, Belgium, dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of World War I and whose graves ...

(1922) and other war memorials. The church is part of the

Diocese in Europe The Diocese in Europe (short form for the Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe) is a diocese of the Church of England. It was originally formed in 1842 as the Diocese of Gibraltar. It is geographically the largest diocese of the Church of England and th ...

of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

and is also a Belgian national monument. The church is open every day from 9:30 am until dusk (4 pm in winter). The church has many plaques and memorials to regiments, associations and individuals.

Bells

In 2016, as part of the First World War centenary commemorations, a project to install a

ring of bells A "ring of bells" is the name bell ringers give to a set of bells hung for English full circle ringing. The term "peal of bells" is often used, though peal also refers to a change ringing performance of more than about 5,000 changes. By ri ...

was launched. The church was originally planned to include a ring, but there was insufficient funding available. By September 2017, the church was able to pay for a new ring of change-ringing bells, cast by

John Taylor & Co John Taylor Bell Foundry (Loughborough) Limited, trading as John Taylor & Co and commonly known as Taylor's Bell Foundry, Taylor's of Loughborough, or simply Taylor's, is the world's largest working bell foundry. It is located in Loughborough, ...

of Loughborough. They are the first of their kind in Belgium. In January 2018, the bell-ringing guild of Ypres was looking for people to perform on the eight new bells. On 10 January 2018, a team of eight bell-ringers from the UK managed to score a

peal In campanology (bell ringing), a peal is the special name given to a specific type of performance of change ringing which meets certain exacting conditions for duration, complexity and quality. The definition of a peal has changed considerably ...

of 5088 Ypres Surprise Major, in two hours and forty two minutes. It was the first full peal ever rung on church bells in continental Europe, and was also the first full peal on the bells. Image:Ieper - Saint George's Memorial Church 2.jpg Image:Ieper_-_Saint_George's_Memorial_Church_1.jpg Image:St. George's Church Ypres 01.JPG Image:St. George's Church Ypres 02.JPG Image:St. George's Church Ypres 03.JPG Image:St. George's Church Ypres 04.JPG Image:Ieper - Saint George's Memorial Church - Stained glass.jpg Location:

References

External links

St. George's website
*http://www.greatwar.co.uk/ypres-salient/town-ieper-st-georges-church.htm {{commonscat, Saint George's Memorial Church (Ieper), Saint George's Memorial Church, Ypres Buildings and structures completed in 1929 Reginald Blomfield buildings World War I memorials in Belgium Anglican church buildings in Belgium Churches in West Flanders Buildings and structures in Ypres Ypres Salient George Ypres 20th-century churches in Belgium 20th-century Anglican church buildings