March
2005
Witney and Woodstock Branch Newsletter
Newsletter of The Witney and Woodstock Branch of the Oxford Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers
Introducing your new Editor Inside this shot! Seriously, I am quite included some snippets issue: looking forward to this from myself. I would like to challenge. It’s not keep each edition lively • Update on something I have done and interesting. Bampton’s before so please excuse Above all I want to restoration my grammar. generate more interest in appeal. I know you hear this every the Branch and that issue, but I need some means more members • Woodstock articles. Please post or e- reading it. Ringers Meal mail anything of interest PLEASE CIRCULATE Can I start by saying what no matter how big or THIS! • Competition a pleasure it is to be small. I intend to introduce If you haven’t seen a copy elected as Branch a few new ideas. I’ve of this in your own tower, Newsletter Editor. I am changed the layout and I pester your tower captain. well aware that I saw off may change it again, some stiff opposition so I please let me have your intend to give it my best : views. I have also Richard White. Forthcoming Events – Don’t miss out!
Training Update Branch Practices – 7.30pm Tues 10 th May – Sat 18 th June th Chairman’s Chatter Wed 30 March – 6 bell practice – Branch Striking 8 bell practice – Combe Competition – Clanfield Alvescot Stonesfield Hand bell th th Sat 14 May – ALL Tues 12 April – nd Ringers 6 bell practice – DAY Branch Outing Wed 22 June – Tackley – Reading Area 8 bell practice – South Leigh From your Ringing th Tues 26 th April – Thurs 26 May – Master 8 bell practice – 8 bell practice – Thurs 11 th Aug – Witney Woodstock 6 bell practice – Wootton nd Mon 2 May – Guild Wed 8 th June – Plus: Open day and 8 bell 6 bell practice – Make the most of Striking Competition The Flowerpot Men Aston these events and – North Bucks progress! W &W Branch Newsletter Page 2 of 6
Bampton Restoration Appeal by Liz ROSE
After almost a year since hand'. Most of the bell to record our grateful Bampton's Appeal charities to whom we are thanks. I have, of course, Committee was put applying will not 'spark' written separately to together and 9 months until we have raised two- Anthony Williamson, as after our first fund raising thirds of the sum needed the new Chairman to event, the Appeal Fund (total £40,000) locally, express our thanks more now stands at presumably to confirm fulsomely. approximately £16,200 (as willingness within the at 22/02/05. Two-thirds community that the project Liz Rose of this sum has been should be successful. pledged by individuals and charities and will be paid Witney & Woodstock on completion of the work: Branch, O.D.G.C.B.R., and the remaining one- recently awarded us a £50 St Mary,Bampton third is actually monies donation at their AGM, for donated which are to which Bampton would like
Woodstock Ringers Meal by Richard WHITE
th On Saturday 29 January pace so had to creep off about 20 Woodstock early before coffee and ringers and friends mints so don’t ask me enjoyed their now annual what time everyone left. ringer’s meal. This year It is rumoured that the we enjoyed the ringers may well take gastronomical delights of advantage of the Hotels The Kings Arms in Wednesday night half
Woodstock. price champagne The setting was very promotion, watch this pleasant and the food space. appeared to go down very well with those in attendance not to mention
the fine wine. Your editor Waiting for dessert at couldn’t quite stand the the Kings Arms”
Competition Time
NEWSLETTER Don’t you think it’s about I’m sure someone out honour of seeing your NAME time this newsletter had a there can come up with a idea at the top of every name? Other Guild really apt name so get newsletter so what are REQUIRED.. newsletters have names your thinking caps on and you waiting for? with ringing connections start e-mailing me. I’ll put Closing date 30 th June such as ‘Quarter Turn’,’ all the ideas to the Branch 2005 Last Whole Turn' and committee and we’ll come ‘That’s All’. How about up with a winner. There Ed something like ‘Tail End’ won’t be a prize but at
or ‘The Odd Struck Times’ least you’ll have the Page 3 of 6 W & W Branch Newsletter
Training Update by Lorna SMALE –( Deputy Ringing Master)
Congratulations to Mark once a month on a QUARTER PEALS Wastie (Witney) on ringing Saturday morning from an excellent first Quarter 1000-1200 hrs. If anybody Combe, 9/3/05, 1260 Plain Bob Doubles Peal of Grandsire Doubles would like to attend any of 1-Rachael Sherlaw-Johnson, 2- Lindsey Thornton, 3- st (all 10 extents) without these please contact me. Dave Rose, 4 – Anthony Williamson (1 inside), 5- Lorna Smale ©, 6 – Mel Leggett. Rung half muffled in memory any mistakes! Well done They are structured also to Angela Quantrill on around the students (no of Barbara Eileen Clare Gibson (1/9/38-4/3/05), former doing such a splendid job more than four at a time), Churchwarden, following the funeral earlier this day. of ringing the tenor at for example, rounds and Church Hanborough to a call changes, or bob Church Hanborough, 8/3/05, 1260 Grandsire Doubles very enjoyable Quarter doubles, but could equally 1- Mary Clark-Maxwell, 2- Jenny Haviland, 3- Lorna Smale ©, 4- Louise Brown, 5- Bernard Coggins, 6- Angela Peal following the wedding be for a new method that st nd of Cathy Rowland’s you are trying to learn, or Quantrill (1 QP on the tenor/2 for many years after the 1 st !) Following the marriage of Mr Glynn Robert daughter. Congratulations on conducting or calling Humphreys and Miss Alison Lucie Rowland (daughter of also to our new Branch call changes. Cathy, Tower Captain at Church Hanborough). Wishing Chairperson, Anthony Lorna Smale them a long and happy life together. Williamson, on a very Email: creditable first Quarter [email protected] or Stonesfield, 6/2/05, 1260 Grandsire Doubles Peal of Plain Bob Doubles. Tel: 01993 869299 1- Lindsey Thornton, 2- Jenny Haviland, 3- Mark Wastie It was also his first time (1 st in method), 4- Steve Goddard, 5- Lorna Smale ©, 6- ringing half muffled bells! Simon Haviland. For Evensong Training sessions are currently being arranged
Chairman’s Chatter – Anthony Williamson
First and foremost, please aims of promoting and enthusiasm and can I encourage you all to encouraging ringing dedication of his ringers, support the Branch’s through practices, the bells now call people many activities this year, meetings and social to worship. This is a particularly the Branch events. On behalf of the similar situation to my outing. More of that Branch, I would like to church at Combe where “I am very pleased to later… thank Dave Rose for his after a long absence we take on the role and It was something of a chairmanship for the past are ringing for services firmly believe in the surprise for me to emerge two years. again. Help given by from this year's AGM as Branch’s aims...” Before the AGM there was more experienced Branch the new Branch a very good short service members has been chairperson. The post given by Roger invaluable to all us was not hotly contested - Humphreys, the vicar of beginners. At the AGM we you could have heard a Woodstock. During this pin drop when nominees heard that there had been he mentioned that when low attendance at Branch were asked to be put he arrived at Woodstock, forward. Nevertheless I practices. This is very ten years ago, the bells disappointing because am very pleased to take were silent. on the role and firmly they are run believe in the Branch's Since then, through the W & W Branch Newsletter Page 4 of 6
Chairmans Chatter (continued) for the benefit of Branch resource. place, please contact members. They provide And finally…the Branch either Steve Goddard the perfect opportunity to outing. Please clear your (01993 845707) or Lorna broaden skills and try a diaries for 14 th May, as Smale (01993 869299). ‘This Branch has a different set of bells. In this is one of the main wealth of skilled ringers my own experience, the social activities organised that support these practices have helped my by the Branch. It Anthony Williamson evenings so let’s take progress and there’s promises to be an always someone available excellent day out, around advantage of this to assist. This Branch has the Watlington area, with resource.” a wealth of skilled ringers a good mix of six and that support these eight bell towers, plus a evenings, so let’s take pub lunch. To book your advantage of this
DID YOU KNOWKNOW???? Stonesfield Hand Bell Ringers
by Rachael Sherlaw -Johnson The first person to
Stonesfield Hand bell the studio as I and the ring 1000 peals Ringers had a busy bells went in. Odd things was The Rev F E Christmas, with three go on in our village! Robinson. Vicar of performances, including a Anyway, the play is called nearby Drayton Candlelit Carol Service in "The Girl in the Cafe", a such stygian gloom that serious sounding drama from 1878 to 1908 we could hardly see our by Richard Curtis, starring and former Guild bells, let alone the music. Bill Nighy, and due to go Master. However, in spite of all the out around May. wrong notes, our local th composer, Nick Hooper, Rachael Sherlaw-Johnson He rang the 1000 was so taken with the at his home tower th sound of the hand bells on 9 August 1905. that he decided he would like to use them in his Of the 1241 he latest T.V.score. So I rang, 861 were of lugged the bells round to the recording studio and Stedman Triples spent a morning ringing and he conducted each bell in turn, swinging 719 of them. “Nick Hooper was so them and using taken with the sound of dampening effects. I don't In the days of plain the hand bells that he expect the sound will be at bearings and decided he would like to all recognisable in the finished score! Nick also limited transport use them in his latest recorded the sound of a this was no mean TV score” musical saw...the saw- feat. player was coming out of
Page 5 of 6 W & W Branch Newsletter
From the Ringing Master – Steve Goddard Hanslope forthcoming events. I hope and we will try and get to have a band up and them out to you all. ready for the eight bell All the Best venue of striking competition early this in May. Steve Goddard years The branch outing Guild 8 planned for 14 th May is bell firming up and without BRANCH OUTING giving too much away it th contest will be in the Berrick SATURDAY 14 MAY Salome area in East Oxfordshire with lunch Hello all. arrangements at The First my apologies for the Chequers in Berrick BOOK IT NOW! recent cancellation of the Salome. Details for this practice at Freeland, I will be out by the end of Contact: hope the news got out. March. The striking th Zoe White 01993 812424 They have been looked at competition will be on 18 Lorna Smale 01993 869299 by Whites and are in need June hopefully at of a bit of attention. Alvescot. Details of this Steve Goddard 01993 845707 Instead of recapping on will be out late April. The what has happened I just Ringing Cards with future want to advertise some events will be out soon
The Flowerpot Men! – by Richard White
From as early as I can week! Some would say and pitch. He set about BRANCH remember I seemed to that was more than approaching grandparents STRIKING spend most of my time in enough. This was not the for unwanted terracotta CONTEST ringing chambers or at case with my brother John. pots, only small ones least running around in the As with everything, he took mind. The wheels as I church yards. As a family, this all a lot more seriously recall were off of prams as SATURDAY 18 th we all rang. I was the than me. Not only was he bicycle ones would prove youngest so there was quicker to pick up new a little big. The rest of the JUNE little chance of me not methods but he had an fittings were made of wood doing so. Weekly practices expert knowledge of the and nails for such things ALVESCOT at Aston Clinton, twice mechanics in the belfry. as gudgeon pins. Clappers ringing on Sundays and a He would always leave were cuts of plywood. This Branch practice early on a Friday night to did not make a particularly PLEASE ENTER somewhere almost every tinker in the belfry. As kids distinct sound so he simply Saturday night meant that he had an idea of hanging pushed drawing pins in. At A TEAM. bells were permanently flowerpots for ringing. He the time we lived in a ringing in our ears. Once I noted that they sounded a Victorian house. At the could be trusted to go out little like bells when you hit back was a corrugated on my bike it became them. All he needed were iron shed. nearly every day of the pots of the correct profile Continued…
The Flowerpot M en (continued)
Send your articles constructed a tower. realise is only 6 changes. to Looking back it was a bit 1260 changes divided by of an eye sore. Mum 6 is, yes, a whopping 210 extents! He overcame this wasn’t very happy about it Richard White because it was too close by borrowing a counting 26 Hill Rise, to the washing line and machine. After every Woodstock, Oxon the neighbours must have extent he would hit the 0X201AB been a little worried. It button. On one occasion it fell off the bench and PHONE: was decided this too had In the corner he clunked onto the floor and 01993 812424 to come down so the bells constructed a platform on had to be retrieved. And (sorry pots) never found a which the frame and so it was that I rang a sort home here. “bells” sat. I think he first of quarter before handling E-MAIL: installed a ring of three. At the end of the garden a church bell. We even zoe_white25@hotm The ropes were a length we had a tree house. The had quarter peal boards ail.com of plastic cord with tape base of which was an old made of thick card,
for sallies. At this time I front door. The structure painted black with white was about 7 years old. I was extended with a tower writing. The whole had never rung a church and the pots found a new structure had a distinct bell but I soon got to grips home. It was during this lean, complete with louver with these. They could be period that The 98 London windows. In 1980 we Road Flowerpot Youths moved to Twitchell Lane. rung full circle and even had stays which is more had their most active For some reason the new than can be said for period. My sister Louise, house occupants were not recent mini-rings. The tail although a ringer wouldn’t interested in keeping the end was held in the left entertain the idea of installation or the fine tree house. Sadly the whole hand and the sally caught having a go so John and I structure was dismantled with the right. Ringing would regularly ring two. It was not long before the and the pots ‘broken up’ friends of similar age were first quarter peal. The (or filled with geraniums). Branch website invited over to try them method was Plain Hunt on Sadly this famous ring of See us at: out. Not long after three. Graham Proctor three joined such towers www.witneyandwo installation Dad said the was elected to the society as St Brides, Fleet Street odstock.org.uk shed had to come down and the date was set. as a lost ring. Once we due to home John was concerned with had moved John didn’t improvements. John the calling (or rather the construct a new ring. salvaged some of the counting). An extent on He did continue to corrugated iron and three as I’m sure you practice his bell hanging skills. My mother salvaged the old school bell which she found underneath a Ringing at Rousham during the Branch sink whilst helping at a cycle outing last August school Christmas party. Over a long period of time John hung it for ringing and it now takes pride of place in the corner of Aston Clinton ringing chamber. Mini-rings seem to be two a penny nowadays. Most of them are real cast bells. Some are improvised. I doubt many have been so ingenious or constructed solely by one so young.
Richard White