Belfry Gossip
Tower and Spire
Exactly 12 months ago, Tintinnabulum commented upon the fact that the steeplejacks’ report on the condition of the spire and tower did not make pleasant reading. It was obvious that much money would have to be spent on the restoration.At that time, little did we know that the work would be subject to delays, vandalism and gale damage. The severe gale at the end of October caused serious damage to the spire and the lead roof of the church was punctured in several places. This is all bound to extend the time limit of the contract. However, the latest news from the contractor states there is a strong possibility the bells may be in action for the Festive Season, in which case we shall remind the town of Christ’s Nativity and ring out an invitation to join the worshipping faithful at the Festival Services.
The Annual Advent Peal
At the time of compiling this report, the organised peal for Saturday November 30th is virtually a non-starter.The Upstairs Ringing Room
The ringers are delighted to learn that the PCC. has agreed to the construction of an upstairs ringing room at a total cost of about £15 000. Readers will remember that a very generous legacy of £10 000 was left to the church to pay for the bulk of this work. The Church Council considered three tenders and accepted the lowest one of £13 146.70, submitted by Underwood and Weston Ltd., who are presently the contractors for the tower and spire restoration. With architect’s fees and the slight possibility of VAT on some small aspects of the work, the price will amount to about £15 000. The work is scheduled to start sometime after Christmas.Donation
The church treasurer has already received a most generous donation from a member of the congregation to help towards the financing of the project. The ringers are most grateful for this. Further consideration as to how to address the shortfall is being discussed and an appeal will most probably be opened in the near future.Friday Evenings
Ringing at Irchester continues to be our main activity. However, during October, the Rushden ringers held their own practice at the village of Woodford and made good use of the eight bells. We were joined by some ringers from Raunds and no doubt we shall be repeating this while our bells are still out of action. Ringing, after all, is a fraternity!Sound Control
Most ringers are very conscious of the amount of sound created by the ringing of bells and readers of Gossip will remember that at St. Mary’s we have constructed our own sound control system, whereby the sound of the bells can still be heard reasonably well but the harshness has been toned down. These shutters are closed when long lengths of ringing are attempted. But bells are meant to be heard.The New Flats
With the building of the flats next to the church, the ringers have compiled a letter for the new occupants, explaining a little about ringing and particularly when our bells are rung and for what purpose. The letter concludes with an invitation to come and see what is involved in campanology.50th Anniversary
For the ringers who were available, a mini-meeting was held in November to discuss the plans for the new ringing room and to consolidate plans for the special United Service on Sunday June 1st 2003 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the augmentation, and re-hanging of the bells together with the restoration of the church spire. More about this in the New Year.New Recruits
We are still gathering names of anyone interested in knowing a little more about ringing. We now have three who have joined the list and we would gladly welcome more recruits. Ages can vary between 9years and upwards. There is no commitment.And so from Tintinnabulum and all the ringers, we extend our warmest greetings and wish all our Gossip readers a Very Happy and Joyful Christmas.