The Duke of Gloucester has visited a church in a Sussex village to see its refurbished bell tower.

Prince Richard visited St John the Evangelist church in Piddinghoe, near Newhaven, to see the renovated tower and hear the church’s six bells ring.

The duke also met with schoolchildren and viewed an exhibition of photos of the bells and was presented with a book with gathered memories from the local community.

Brigid Simmonds OBE, the overall coordinator of the restoration project, described his visit as “very special”.

She said: “The duke took a keen interest in the restoration of the bells and as a trained architect asked a lot of questions about the work.

“He was given a copy of our book Ring in the New, the story of Piddinghoe’s bells, and met pupils from both schools in Newhaven involved in the project, as well as viewing our exhibition.

“We are very grateful to the Lord Lieutenant and his team who also attended.”

Prince Richard, 31st in line to the throne, is the second son of Prince Henry and Princess Alice and is the youngest of nine grandchildren of King George IV and Queen Mary.