MysteryHidden
Bells Beneath the Sea
A drowned town whose bells still ring.
Stand where it happened
- What's there
- Shingle beach beside the old Moot Hall
- Legend from
- Recorded Victorian
- Best time
- Stormy nights
- Tone
- Eerie
Aldeburgh: the old town is under the waves now. On some nights, people say, its church bells still ring beneath the sea.
Much of old Aldeburgh, like neighbouring Dunwich, has been swallowed by the North Sea over the centuries. The Moot Hall, which once stood in the middle of the town, now stands close to the beach. Lady Gurdon recorded the belief that the bells of the lost town can still be heard ringing beneath the waves, a story she also notes for old Felixstowe. Such tales of drowned bells are told along the eroding Suffolk coast, where whole streets and churches have gone. They are said to sound most clearly in stormy weather or when the sea is about to take more of the land.
One sourceOnly one written account of this legend has been found so far.