Young Ringers Outing to London
December 2, 2014 8:18 pm | by admin | Posted in Young Ringers
St Martins– in–the–Fields
On the 29th November, between 40 and 50 ringers, young and old, were seen hopping from one tower to another through the streets of London. What could possibly go wrong? Ringers from Bedfordshire (plus some visiting ringers) met together to enjoy a fun packed day exploring four twelve-bell towers around Central London. Our day started in St Martins in the Fields, in the heart of London, off Trafalgar Square. After a quick coffee in the crypt we headed up to the ringing chamber. As many of us had never (or rarely) rung on twelve before, a quick briefing was given by Linda Garton. We were told numerous times throughout the day “big pull at handstroke and hold up at backstroke…” (You get the picture) The ringing consisted mainly of rounds so that all the youngsters could have a feel of ringing twelve. Some more complicated methods were also rung to give some of the older generation a quick chance to brush up on twelve bell ringing!
St Sepulchre–without–Newgate
After St Martins, we headed to St Sepulchre–without–Newgate on a bus literally taken over by bell ringers! The same sort of system at St Martins was used again at St Sepulchre . The bells had a lovely sound to them but were very different to St Martins and therefore we took a little time to adapt to. Everyone, now starting to get a little hungry, was very happy to find out it was lunchtime! After what seemed a long journey (for someone who is very hungry, that is) we finally arrived at the Cross Keys Wetherspoon’s. There we enjoyed a quick but very tasty lunch before heading back to St Mary–le–Bow. We were all warned about the weight of the bells, as it was the heaviest tower we were visiting, but we did not quite realise how heavy. We all needed to pull at least three times more to be able to get the bell up to where it needed to be! Many of us were also given the chance to go on top of the roof where a great view of London greeted you. You could see all the great landmarks and it was the perfect day to see as far as the horizon went. However, the higher you went, the more swaying there was, which made a few of us feel a little queasy (not just the youngsters!) Another great highlight of ringing at St Mary–le–Bow was the fact that a band was put together to ring rounds, but as we did not know at the time, the band had been placed so that every bell was being rung by an under 17 year old. This was a great highlight for many because it showed how talented the Bedfordshire Young Ringers are!
St Magnus the Martyr
Leaving St Mary–le–Bow behind, we headed to our final tower, St Magnus the Martyr. After waiting a little while, we headed up the tower, trying to fit everyone in the small ringing chamber. It certainly kept us all warm though! The bells were very new and the sound was glorious, however, we were all not expecting the amount of sway that would be produced from the bells and that took many of us by surprise, but unfortunately made a few people feel a little unwell. However, as soon as you started to ring, you could not feel the sway at all and once you were used to it, everyone enjoyed a very pleasant final ring on twelve.
King’s Cross
As that was the last tower, it was time for everyone to depart their own ways, although I’m sure many stayed to try some of London’s fine beverages, but as for some it was a quick pasty at King’s Cross Station and a train home. On behalf of everyone, I would quickly like to thank Linda Garton, Jake Loveless, Chris Williams and Sue Silver for organising this day that I’m sure we will not forget for a long time. It has certainly helped my bell handling and my listening skills, which are useful however many bells you are ringing on. Thank you!
Clarrie Scott