Ringing World 5160 (19 March 2010)

Front Cover: Wotton Branch Centenary 1910 - 2010 by Andrew Harper
The Wotton-under-Edge Branch of the Gloucester & Bristol Diocesan Association of Church Bell ringers was formed at a meeting held at The Castle Temperance Hotel and Coffee Tavern, Thornbury on 19th February 1909.

Bells and Bell frames: Guidelines for consultation
The notes on this page explain the context within which English Heritage will offer advice on proposals affecting bells and bell frames. Overleaf there is more information about consultation and specific works.

Birthday celebrations at Tytherington
Birthday celebrations started with a quarter peal of Allendale, rung to celebrate the birthday of David Matthews on Friday, 4th December 2009.
A local farmer (Tom), who learnt to ring in his younger days, celebrated his 60th birthday on the same day, and many of his friends and family were gathered in the local village hall. Tom thought that the quarter peal was being rung especially for him!
More to the point, birthday number three, and the most important, was the 50th birthday of the treble bell in St James’ Church.

Letters
Bells in music - Bruce Purvis
Wonky correction – Robin Brown
Variation on original theme? - John David
Leading QP Ringers 2009 - John Gwynne
Nameless photos - Chris Williams (Mrs)
Dear ladies … - Tom Page
Hypocrisy at work? - John Davies
Don those overalls girls! - Jeremy Platten
Ringing Roadshow – the future - John Norris

Mid-Wales Madness by Colin A. Lewis
Snow was falling as we came out of the tower at Talgarth, two days before Christmas, after ringing a peal of Minor. None of us had expected snow, and the drive down-hill to the main road was a slithery slide of shivery excitement. My car reached the main road, sideways, just in front of a snow-plough. Thank goodness the plough was going slowly, otherwise there would have been a Ford on its fender!

From Across the Pond
A round-up of reports from towers in the North American Guild of Change Ringers
Over here, there are certain recurring events that have become a “must-do” for ringers throughout North America – Philadelphia’s “Vernal Equinox” weekend, complete with fine dining and dancing, Charleston’s biennial “Ring Around Charleston”, the “Five Towers Festival” which is based in either Texarkana, Houston or Little Rock each year, and of course the Annual General Meeting, held yearly in a different tower, no matter how far-flung. These events bind us together and are activities that a solid core of folks look forward to with delight.

Obituaries
Betty Murtagh, Bill Woodyatt

What’s up that tower?
Chris Pickford explores … Austrey, Warwickshire
The north Warwickshire village of Austrey will doubtless seem an unlikely place to feature in this series. Its five bells date from 1632, originally a complete ring by Hugh Watts II of Leicester and still hung in their contemporary frame. Thomas Rudhall of Gloucester recast the second in 1770 and the present treble, which carries the old inscription taken from its 1632 predecessor, is a Barwell bell of 1911. The tenor supposedly weighs 13½cwt – probably over-estimated by up to 2cwt – and the bells are in the key of F.

Thought for the week
My late father was a vicar and used to have a good fund of stories from his experiences of parish life. On one occasion he was “cold calling” around the parish (modern vicars don’t really have the time to do this any more) and he was invited into her house by a lady. On remarking that he didn’t seem to have seen her in church the lady replied “Well, I don’t go any more because I’ve got a grievance”. “I’m sorry to hear that”, said my father,

Fr Dougal turns his hand to bellringing at St Magnus
Fans of Father Ted might like to tune into a radio programme on BBC Radio 4 where the comedian, Ardal O’Hanlon,  turns his hand to bellringing.  It is part of a programme called I’ve Never Seen Star Wars where celebrities try something that they have never tried before and rate their experiences.

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