BICESTER’S oldest primary school will ring the changes as it moves its 156-year-old bell to a new site.

St Edburg’s Church of England School in Cemetery Road yesterday took down the school bell, which has been rung every day since opening in 1859 before it relocates to a new building on the Kingsmere Estate.

The 100lb bell is being taken to the new school in Whitelands Way where a new bell tower has been constructed especially to house the piece of history.

Headteacher Margaret Kunzer said: “We are moving to a new site and now the bell will be coming with us.

“This bell has been hanging, as far as we know, for the whole time we have been here since 1859, it can be since in all the old pictures.

“It is rung every day to let the children know that school has started.

“The new bell tower is specially designed to fit in with the tower here. It is our history and it is very important to us as we have been in Bicester for 156 years and we want to remember that. It will also mark our presence there [in Kingsmere].”

The bell will be taken down by bell hanging company Whites of Appleton, which will carry out maintenance before relocating it to the Kingsmere site.

The school will move to the Whitelands Way in January 2016 and will be able to double its current pupil intake of around 150 students.

On Monday (June 8) both students, teachers and parents took part in a commemorating the piece of history and took turns in ringing out the final chimes.

The bell was rung 156-times to celebrate every year that the school has been on the site in Cemetery Road.

Mrs Kunzer added: “We are really looking forward to moving to the new site but want to take with us our history as well, as it is very important to us and something we do not want to forget.”

The school hopes to have an official opening for the new site in spring.