Ringing World 5156 (19 February 2010)

Front Cover: Keltek Trust – activities 2009
by David Preston, Chairman
This article is based on our annual report for the year ending 31st December 2009. The year has had mixed fortunes; John Hobbs our Independent Examiner for eleven years and Carol Hardwick, our I.E. for 2008 both died in September. We are grateful to Robert Bell, a ringer at St Mary’s church, Bathwick, Bath who has accepted the position of Independent Examiner to the Trust. In common with many charities our income fell and this resulted in us offering fewer grants and donations. On the positive side we have helped to re-locate 42 bells, our second highest annual total bringing the number re-located since activities started to 475.
The number of new enquiries fell to 100, the lowest annual total since 1997. Of these 61 were to acquire and 35 to sell bells and 4 for the sale of bell-fittings, bell-frames etc.

Society of Sherwood Youths commemorate the bicentenial anniversary of the death of William Doubleday Crofts by Tony Lees
William Doubleday Crofts died on 29th November 1809 and was buried in the north-west corner of the churchyard at Nottingham, St Mary on 5th December.
Crofts set up practice as a solicitor in Nottingham where he rang with and led the Society of Sherwood Youths for over 40 years. During this time the Society rang first peals at many towers and was awarded a prize of a set of cup bells by the Squire Fortrey (King’s Norton/Norton by Galby, Leicestershire) for the part they played in the long peal contest with the Leicester Scholars in 1777/78. It is likely that Crofts supplied the composition for the 10,260 of Grandsire Caters and it was a testament to his skills to single-handedly ring the 9th at Nottingham St Mary for the duration.

The second assessment by G. H. P.
As reported in The Ringing World in 2004, the Daventry Branch was then privileged to be inspected by the Office For the Assessment of Ringing Training. After some neglect since then, mainly due to difficulty in having the lead inspector released from Transworld Railway Roaming, not to mention spotting huge bells in different parts of the world and playing the organ at Norwich crematorium, the chairman and ringing master were able to arrange and host another inspection in early December.
The two-day mid-week programme was intense. It started in the afternoon at Stanion to appraise a new tower and break the journey to west Northamptonshire. As in 2004, we had a bad start when the inspector entered the church enquiring as to who on earth was ringing the tenor!

From Across the Pond — A round-up of reports from towers in the North American Guild of Change Ringers by Kathryn Tucker
It’s time for another spotlight on a North American tower, eh? Last time, we were in Hawaii, the westernmost NA change ringing tower – this month we’ll fly back east, all the way to Toronto, Canada.
The Cathedral of St James is home to the first ring of twelve bells in North America; the second and only other set is in New York City. But before going into detail about the Toronto bells, let’s have our usual history lesson: the name Toronto comes from the Iroquois Indian word “Tkaronto”, which means “the place where trees stand in water”; the Iroquois and subsequently the Huron tribe inhabited the area for centuries. There was an influx of Brits during the Revolutionary War (1775-83), as well as Americans who preferred to remain loyal to the King, and in 1793, the town of “York” was established, named after Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany. In 1834, the city reverted to its original name, but it was anglicized to “Toronto”.

Letters
Bells in organs — Alastair MacFadyen
St John’s Cathedral, Valletta — E. Ann Williams
Model bell advice please — Robert Langley
When is the next Roadshow? — G. R. D. Willis
‘The Unfinished Symphony’ — Alan Barber
It’s an inequitable life, Henry — I. Gripe
Judging striking competitions — Simon Linford
Doctor Gatty and Ecclesfield — John Eisel
The view from Snaefell — Ernie Runciman

Mid-Devon Ringers’ 36th Autumn Tour, Northants area by Jean and Arthur Fidler
At 6.30am on Monday, October 26th 2009 upwards of 47 ringers and friends assembled at the mid-Devon coach depot at Bow ready to board the coach departing for the 36th Mid- Devon Ringers’ Autumn Tour, the last one organised by Jean and Arthur Fidler. The area chosen this year was Northants, our HQ being the Whetstone Manor Hotel, Weston Flavell.
Long Buckby, our first port of call, was reached early and after an excellent lunch at The Old King’s Head, the 8 bells were soon up and into changes; these were originally an old 5 but were made into 8 for the millennium.

Obituaries
Clifford A. Barron, Bob Stokes

What’s up that tower?
Chris Pickford explores The Caledonian Market tower in Islington, London
This article is the Editor’s suggestion. He thought the tower of the former Caledonian Market building in Islington, would be a suitable subject for this series. It is, since anyone seeing it might well see the bells and framework in the open stage above the clock and wonder “what’s up there?” Or, just as likely, travellers on Eurostar services leaving St.Pancras may glance up the slope to the north of the track and ask “what IS that tower?”
The tower and the substantial cast iron railings round the site are all that now remain of the old Metropolitan Cattle Market, which was built in 1854-5 for the Corporation of London as a livestock market to relieve pressure on the busy and overcrowded meat markets at Smithfield. The architect was James Bunstone Bunning (1802-1863), architect and surveyor to the Corporation, who also designed the original Billingsgate Fish Market and the former Coal Exchange in the City. The foundation stone was laid on 24th March 1854 and the markets were opened by Prince Albert in June 1855.

Knutsford, St John’s, ringers & friends ‘Out in the Welsh Marches’ by Peter Robertson
Undaunted by threats of gales and torrents, a happy band of a dozen or so ringers from Knutsford, Warburton, Mobberley and Lower Peover, ably supported by many of their ‘other halves’, began to gather at lunchtime on Friday, October 2nd at the Plough Inn (‘Tap’ to the Wood Brewery) in Wistanstow, Shropshire. So began this ringing tour which turned out (by chance!) to be crossed with a micro-brewery connoisseur’s dream!
The band progressed from Wistanstow, a fine ring of 8 with a long-suffering Primary School next door, to Ludlow, which was a whole new experience for most of us. A 10 bell ring made a good challenge in itself but climbing the 139 steps to the ringing chamber and then standing around the glass floor with a fine view to ground level gave it an added frisson!

A new venture for the S.E. Wales Ringing Centre: the ITTS course is piloted by Debbie Turner
Over the years, I have seen many different teaching styles, which have had varying degrees of success. Being able to handle a bell correctly is, I believe, of major importance and if one is unable to do so it may ultimately hamper ones progression in the art of bellringing and lead to frustration. I feel that although there can be no one correct way to teach, as every student is different, there must be a model of teaching that would lend itself to being of use to teaching the majority of learners.
Having recently recruited some new ringers to our local tower, and being called upon to assist with teaching them, I found myself in a somewhat unusual position. The last time I assisted with teaching was about 8 years ago and, as I was taught to ring just over 20 years ago, by an excellent teacher (I hasten to add!), I felt it would be useful to attend a course to teach me to teach.

Yorkshire Ringer leads London band North! by Rachael Smith
When visiting my Grandmother, I often hear the delightful bells of St Giles, Balderton, near Newark-on-Trent. Although I’ve rung at many towers in the north of England, I never seemed to find an opportunity to ring at this church. The advent of my Grandmothers’ 80th Birthday seemed the ideal occasion to rectify this, and grab the tower! Consequently, I gathered an enthusiastic band of ringers from around London (where I am now based) for a day out of quarter peals in and around Balderton. We started the day on the back eight at Newark-on-Trent (St Mary Magdalene) for a quarter of Yorkshire Major. It was fortunate that Thomas Lawrance had brought a spare shirt, as his was drenched with sweat after ringing the tenor!