Four Shires Guild of Bell Ringers

  1. TOC
  2. back
  3. next

Around the Towers

Quarter Peals

Welford-on-Avon, Warks, 20th June 2009, 1260 Grandsire Triples: Ted Copson 1, Nick Allsopp 2, Jane Gilbert 3, Jo Langford 4, Charles Wilson 5, Steve Bowley 6, John Nicholls (C) 7, George Harisson 8 Rung on the day of the Welford-on-Avon ringers' Garden Party (see News from Welford-on-Avon)

Welford-on-Avon, Warks, 25th Oct 2009. 800 Cambridge S Minor: Jo Langford 1, Jane Gilbert 2, Edward Timmins 3, Freda Cleaver 4, Ted Copson 5, Nick Allsopp (C) 6 Rung to celebrate the 800th anniversary of Cambridge University (see News from Welford-on-Avon)

Great Wolford, Warks, 29th Nov, 2009, 1266 Doubles (Grandsire, Plain, Stedman): Richard Lewis-Skeath (C) 1, Isobel Murphy 2, Keith Murphy 3, Trevor Hobday 4, Peter Kenealy 5, David Adams 6. In memory of Angela Phillips, major benefactor of this tower. Most methods 2, 3 & 5.

Moreton-in-Marsh, Glos, 11th Jan, 1280 Yorkshire S Major: Chris Mew (C) 1, Sophia Lewis-Skeath 2, Diana Reeves 3, Richard Lewis-Skeath 4, Peter Quinn 5, Robert Reeves 6, John Nicholls 7, Mark Sayers 8. In memory of Stephen Ivin. 1st of Yorkshire: 2.

Salford Priors, Warks, 25th Jan, 1312 Rutland Surprise Major: Chris Mew (C) 1, Diana Reeves 2, Sophia Lewis-Skeath 3, Karen French 4, Alan Hartley 5, Robert Reeves 6, John Nicholls 7, Richard Lewis-Skeath 8. Rung in memory of Elizabeth Dorothy Dady (mother of Sophia), born this day 1944. 1st of Rutland: 3 & 4.

Evesham, Worcs, 8th Feb, 1282 Cambridge Surprise Royal: Chris Povey 1, Annie Hall 2, Alan Hartley 3, Diana Reeves 4, Richard Lewis-Skeath 5, John Nicholls 6, Robert Reeves 7, Peter Quinn 8, Mark Sayers 9, Chris Mew (C) 10.

Mickleton, Glos, 15th Feb, 1280 Spliced S Major (4 methods; 320 each C, Y, L, S, 36 com): Chris Mew (C) 1, Sophia Lewis-Skeath 2, Richard Lewis-Skeath 3, Karen French 4, Robert Reeves 5, Alan Hartley 6, John Nicholls 7, Chris Povey 8. 1st Spliced: 2

Chipping Campden, Glos, 22nd Jan, 1296 Spliced Major (3 methods; St Clement's, Little Bob, Plain Bob, 72 com): John Kinchin 1, Peter Quinn 2, Sophia Lewis-Skeath 3, Richard Lewis-Skeath 4, John Nicholls 5, Mark Sayers 6, Chris Mew (C) 7, Jackie Hands 8. Birthday compliment to Jackie.

Offenham, Worcs, 23rd Feb, 1260 Plain Bob Minor: John Bolton 1, Robert Hall 2, Claire Penny 3, Tom Sandham 4, Chris Povey 5, Martin Penny (C) 6. Rung for the Feast of St Milburgh, to whom (with St Mary) the church is dedicated. 1st PB Minor: 4.

Wellesbourne, Warks, 6th Mar, 1298 St Clement's College Bob Major: Jo Langford 1, Charles Wilson 2, Richard Lewis-Skeath 3, Sophia Lewis-Skeath 4, John Caroll 5, Jackie Hands 6, Michael Dane 7, Peter Quinn (C) 8.

Moreton-in-Marsh, Glos, 8th Mar, 1344 Pudsey S Major: Richard Lewis-Skeath 1, Sophia Lewis-Skeath 2, Diana Reeves 3, Robert Reeves 4, Peter Quinn (C) 5, Chris Mew 6, John Nicholls 7, Mark Sayers 8. 1st of Pudsey: 2.

The committee members who rang the quarter of Grandsire Doubles at Great Wolford (see front page) to mark the centenary of the first peal rung for the Four Shires Guild. L-R: Chris Povey, Andrew Gunn, Peter Quinn, Jackie Hands, John Nicholls, Peter Kenealy.

Hearty congratulations to two ladies this time. Sophia Lewis-Skeath successfully rang 4-Spliced S Major at the first attempt, and Jackie Hands turned Campden's tenor in to 3-Spliced P&L Major for her birthday quarter. Jackie also competently turned Evesham's 36cwt tenor in to Bob Major for a couple of courses, too. A quarter on it sometime, Jackie? Beware the female of the species. . .

Tower News

Stanway: there are rumours of plans to rehang this 4 and add a treble (the bellframe is currently for 5 bells), although these plans may be long term. The bells are currently listed as very limited ringing, which is about right: ringable, but only by the finest of margins. These bells were used for the FSG Minimus Striking competition in 1995 and were extremely hard to ring then.

Wyck Rissington bells (4, 7cwt) have become unringable (as reported on Dove on-line recently).

Mickleton have some problems with the lower tier of the bellframe there. It moves! Well, just a little bit; but enough to cause some concern and to investigate how to stop it. The movement was discovered when the now-defunct Taylor, Eayre & Smith & Co came to look at the reason for a reported problem with the 6th bell. The initial estimate to sort the frame and an independent rope problem was £32,000, but a cheaper solution has been devised. The lack of shooting boards on some badly-drawn ropes in the intermediate clock room causes bellying of these ropes when pulled from backstroke (witnessed by slap marks on the clock case). A small kick at the sally is felt as the rope straightens. The TESCo rep expressed surprise that no shooting boards had been provided at the 1954 rehang. Peals at Mickleton are unlikely until the frame has been anchored. More money to be spent on keeping bells ringing!

Unfortunately, the tenor clapper at Norton couldn't be installed in time for the FSG practice on March 20th. It arrived back on the 19th and installation was organised for the following morning, but it was misaligned and had to be returned for corrective work. The practice on the 20th was therefore diverted to Salford Priors. Hopefully the notice on the door at Norton regarding the new venue was sufficient to prevent anyone having a wasted journey. The meeting scheduled for Salford Priors on April 24th will now take place at Norton (see Diary overleaf).

A committee to rehang Adlestrop bells is being formed. More on this project will be reported in the next Newsletter.

Please let me have any information about what's happening in towers in the area. Ed