Belfry Gossip for Feb 2009
A belated Happy new Year to all our readers!
Looking back to Advent Sunday we did indeed ring a quarter peal of Pudsey Surprise Major, in honour of Pudsey bear and Children in need. Pudsey is what you might call the Marmite of ringing methods (ways of producing mathematical music) - you either love it or loathe it. Feelings are mixed in the Rushden belfry, but personally, as with Marmite, I like it.
Christmastide is traditionally closely associated with the celebratory ringing of bells - Ding, dong merrily on high’ - and we always try to do our bit, but our efforts were curtailed by illness (many of us succumbed to the prevalent flu-like virus), Bob Whitworth was still ‘unringable’ (though he rejoined us on January 2nd) and two of our number actually preferred visiting Canada to ringing in Rushden. Hard to believe I know! Despite everything six bells did ring out for the morning service on Christmas Day.
On Boxing Day Rushden bells and ringers achieved international fame when an article entitled ‘Merrily on High: In Britain, Bell-Ringing’s Eternal Peal’ appeared in the Washington Post. You may recall that a Washington Post Staff Writer, Adrian Higgins, visited us in November; he clearly also feels that the bells are linked to a traditional Christmas since he describes their sound as the ’dancing peal of a storybook Victorian Christmas’ with Alan marks featuring as a ‘fitting Santa’. Does that, I wonder, make the rest of us elves?
He also wrote of the mellowing effect of ‘thick stone towers and steeples’ which transform ‘the clamorous sound into the melodious call of God’ and, rather romantically described St Mary’s as ‘an imposing confection in cream-and-rust coloured stone’
The article goes on to describe the mechanics of ringing, reflects on the his experience of hearing the ‘fury’ of the bells at close quarters, reminiscent of The Nine Tailors, bell-ringing ringing in Washington, thoughts on the current state of the Church Of England, several anecdotes about the actions of those who do not like the sound of the bells, and some stories about the beer swilling activities of bell-ringers in the past.
Several ringers are mentioned by name: Alan Marks, Brenda Dixon, ‘Veteran ringer’ Bob Whitworth and 12 year old Thomas Coles who could ‘set a one ton bell in motion’ (although he might have added that an 8 year old girl, Hannah, can do much the same.
If you would like to read the article in its entirety then visit here . If you do not have internet access several copies are available at the back of the church.
Third Reserve Tinntinabulum