Outings - Summer 2013
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Ranmoor Ringers Outing in South Yorkshire | |
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Saturday 22th June 2013 |
After a
Tuesday practice, being the novice of about four months in the tower, I
was surprised and delighted to be invited by Gill, the organiser, to
join the bell ringing tour the following week end, an invitation I was
very pleased to accept. |
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Four
churches were listed, the first The Coptic Church of St Antony,
previously known as St Stephens, in Eastwood
Rotherham. Arriving early outside the church in a
dampening drizzle, the first impression was of a typical Victorian
stone edifice showing some sign of wear. One half of the grass area to
the front was cut and the tower half uncut making the tower end look
abandoned. The church was made redundant in 1992 and the
bells fell into disuse until restored by local ringers. The original
bells were hung in 1910, their swan song being a BBC broadcast in the
new year 1990. When our group emerged from the light drizzle we all climbed the spiral staircase to the belfry, after viewing the bells, ringing commenced and the bells were rung up making a satisfying peal, rounds were rung and on to changes etc. Listening, I realised then that I was among band members who, I discovered over the day, have an accumulated experience measured in centuries. Eastwood, Rotherham, St Antony, SK433932, 8, 12-1-21 10:00 - 10:45 |
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After
thanking the bell captain and clarifying a technical detail on the use
of lime mortar in bell towers, we proceeded to circumnavigate the one
way system in Conisbrough to St Peter’s Church, a beautiful
stone church dating back to Saxon times located in well kept grounds
near the castle. We accessed the tower through the church and a very
tight doorway to the base of a reducing spiral stair, after surviving
the high step into the belfry and inspecting the interesting tower
clock mechanism in a glass case at one end. The group
assembled and ringing commenced after the tower captain made himself
heard....again a very satisfying peal. The bell ringing over, entering the top of the stair reminded me of my caving days as it was like entering a tight cave, I navigated the top steps on my bottom until the stair widened, after squeezing through the access door to the interior of the church, I realised weight loss has got to be on the agenda this year. I would be very interested to know how the ringers, after calling the worshipers in, could slip out quietly. The interior of the church itself is an education on the development of early English church architecture, exuding English history, and very well worth a visit. Conisborough, St Peter, SK512987, 8, 13-2-20 11:15 - 12:00 |
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| Lunch |
We then arrived en masse for lunch at the Boat Inn in Sprotbrough. (a possible candidate for Roy Stanley to visit for his celebrated column). Elaine, our captain, was reprimanded by the waiter for not booking a large table for us all. He was left in no doubt we were bell ringers and did not work to a fixed time table. A customer then became involved and enquired “were we ringers like on the advert?” I had no idea there were any adverts which featured change ringers. A very convivial lunch was enjoyed putting us a little behind for the next tower causing some members, myself included, who were not having a pudding to proceed post haste to St Mary the Virgin. The Boat Inn, Sprotborough, DN5 7NB, SE 537025 |
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The
church is late Norman built about 1170 known as Alfredas Church, the
tower being completed around 1474 and the present building as it would
have been around 1520. The present bells hung in 1963 replace the previous bells hung in 1771. Another very attractive church built out of coursed rubble and ashlar. We climbed up a wider spiral stair this time, to make our presence known. With a reduced band of three, the bells were rung up in peal, firstly in peals of three then two, giving a light peal, during which the remainder of the band filled the tower suitably nourished for further ringing. Sprotborough,, St Mary the Virgin, SE 540020, 8, 8-1-26 13:35 - 14:30 |
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Leaving the church the weather had improved; has summer arrived? In convoy on to All Saints Church Darfield, a pretty church in its own grounds dating from the 11th century the tower a solid square stone structure built during the 11th/12th centuries. The oldest bell was hung in 1500 and the most recent from 1979. After studying the gravestone of Robert Millthorpe, a 19 year old mason, who was killed carrying the stone he was now buried under, trying to work out how on earth he managed it. On to the belfry, discussing the merits of the long S, and yes it was accessed up a spiral stair. The belfry at this church can only be described by our tower’s standards as palatial. An interesting cast bell-ringing apparatus was inspected prior to ringing up rounds, changes etc. During ringing the tenor was found to be difficult to control, Les struggling to stay upright which he manfully succeeded in doing, in one piece. Another interesting, or was it alarming, peculiarity of the tower, the movement in the floor, possibly caused by the beam ends sliding on the stone. I would like to see what their quinquennial has reported on the problem. Darfield, All Saints, SE419043, 8, 13-3-24 15:00 - 15:45 |
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Tower ringing over for the day, our happy ringers collected in the brilliant sunshine for a communal photograph, taken by various cameras on automatic settings teetering on the top of a very large gravestone. When I left the grounds Elaine was organising a hand bell session for the more stalwart members of the band. Reflecting on a very well organised day, thank you Gill, visiting these well chosen towers, which covered diverse peals and weights of bells coupled with journeying through the development of English church architecture from Saxon times, St Peter the oldest church in South Yorkshire, to the Victorian gothic of St Antony. With a healthy respect for tight stone spiral staircases, not suited to the corpulent figure. I will never complain about Ranmoor’s spiral stair again. For us all, a very successful outing, and for me a novice ringer, a valuable experience under the tutorship of Nick and Peter, observed by a very tolerant and patient band. I will now concentrate on coming to balance every time on the backstroke and to stop snatching at the sally. Robert Guttridge 24th June 2013 |
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