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Sat 9th April 2005
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A Saturday in April, with no requests for
bells
for a wedding, day chosen for the spring outing.
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Amidst fears of snow showers, a convoy of
cars
set off on their chosen routes to the most difficult area to get to
from Sheffield, the North West. Winnats Pass to Chapel en le Frith was
one route, others chose the Cat and Fiddle to Macclesfield and others
the Buxton -Congleton serpentine switchback. The results were strangely
equal all groups arriving at Holmes Chapel within minutes of each
other. Does this prove that all westward Pennine transits from
Sheffield are equally bad? |
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Holmes Chapel is a busy suburban town that has the church of St
Luke,
6, 11cwt right in the centre, in fact, the main road has to bend to get
past it. The Cheshire plain never seems to me to be heavily wooded area
and yet we were to encounter two wooden-structured churches on this
outing. |
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The next tower St. Michael & A.A.
Middlewich, 8, 20cwt is also situated in the centre of the town on a
triangular site. The bells were wonderful and rich in tone. |
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Lunch at the Bear's Paw at Warmingham,
was
followed by handbell ringing in the pub garden before crossing the
bridge to the seemingly Victorian church of
St Leonard, 6, 10cwt. |
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A parallel with our church was revealed
inside
because it had been burnt down in the 1880s with the exception of the
tower. When the rebuilding was undertaken the rubble of the first
church was left in situ and thus the floor of the church is some 3 feet
above the bottom step of the stairs to the ringing chamber. |
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St Bartholomew’s at Church Minshul, 6,
10cwt,
was next – an anticlockwise ring. |
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The final tower, Christ Church Crewe, 10,
20cwt was a surprise. The tower is detached from the church, well
really semi detached. Bomb damage destroyed the nave. The remaining
fragments of the nave structure link to the chancel where the church
itself has retreated. A magnificent but sadly underused-peal of bells
with tower sway but no resident band.
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We finally drove home over one of the
most
dangerous roads in Britain, for motorcyclists, the A54 from Congleton
to Buxton, the Hope Valley and home.
Many thanks to our Secretary
Elaine Scott for making the arrangements and the maps to guide us to
our appointed places. We are already hoping that the wedding calendar
will allow an Autumn outing. |
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also published in Spirals (Sheffield District newsletter) Oct
2005
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