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A
Little History of Cherington and Stourton |
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| Home | Parish Church Bell Restoration 2006 | Close page |
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Hear
the five Cherington bells
as they were in 2005,
and a recording of the new peal of six bells, hung in 2006. |
More about the bells and their history |
Could
I be a bell-ringer? |
During 2006 the bells of the Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Cherington,
underwent much
needed restoration. To mark this happy event, a sixth bell was added
to the existing five, allowing a total of 720 changes (combinations) to
be rung: 241635, 426153, etc. This takes a band of ringers some twenty-five
minutes, always starting with a ring down the musical scale, from the treble
to the tenor bell (1,2,3,4,5,6). Ringing up the scale should be something
that none of us wants to hear, as it has traditionally been reserved to
signal invasion or disaster.
Twenty-five minutes is modest compared to the twenty-seven years
it would, theoretically, take to ring all the changes in one of the 90-odd
towers of twelve bells. Nevertheless, it still means marvellous, sustained,
complex swirls of sound ringing out over the rooftops, uplifting the spirits
of believer and non-believer alike. This is an experience almost unique
to Britain, which has over 5,000 churches where change-ringing is possible,
as opposed to only another hundred or so elsewhere in the world.
The estimated cost of restoration was over £40,000, of which at least £25,000
had to be found locally. Led by the Bell and Fund-Raising Committees,
an outstanding effort by the villages plus the generosity of the many, many
donors of time and money brought the scheme to a successful and happy conclusion, some £31,000 being collected. Fund-raising efforts included safari suppers and pub quiz evenings, while an Open Gardens Day attracted hundreds of visitors. Financial support from
three charities, plus the Diocesan Guild of Church Bellringers, who also contributed valuable advice and expertise, enabled the overall target to be reached. |
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Pictured outside the Rectory, possibly in "ringing order", are (l. to rt.) John Long, wheelwright and Parish Clerk; Richard ("Dick") Clark, baker; George ("Gooseberry") Joyner; William ("Will" or "Bill") Bailey, cowman and masterly rick-builder; Henry ("Harry") Joyner. The Joyner brothers were both enumerated in the 1901 census as "carter on farm". |
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