John Tristram, the Bell Captain, is happy to provide instruction or information about learning with Offwell’s own band of ringers and he can be contacted on 01404 831404 or via email: [email protected]
Service ringing is the first Sunday of the month, 9.00 - 9.30am and as arranged.
Practice (with Mary Boulton’s group) – 7.45 - 9.00pm, each Tuesday, various locations. Please check with John Tristram beforehand.
Visiting bands regularly come to ring our excellent bells. Recent visitors include the Dorset Peal Ringers, Bovey Tracey Ringers, Taw, Torridge and Tamar Ringers, Churchstanton Ringers and the Open University Ringers.
The East Devon Branch of the Guild of Devonshire Ringers also practice advanced methods in our tower about once a month.
Service ringing is the first Sunday of the month, 9.00 - 9.30am and as arranged.
Practice (with Mary Boulton’s group) – 7.45 - 9.00pm, each Tuesday, various locations. Please check with John Tristram beforehand.
Visiting bands regularly come to ring our excellent bells. Recent visitors include the Dorset Peal Ringers, Bovey Tracey Ringers, Taw, Torridge and Tamar Ringers, Churchstanton Ringers and the Open University Ringers.
The East Devon Branch of the Guild of Devonshire Ringers also practice advanced methods in our tower about once a month.
In June 2021 St. Mary’s, Offwell, celebrated the 200 year anniversary of the Ellacombe Chimes. (More information on the anniversary celebration can be found in the ‘History of Bell Ringing’ document folder in church).
John Seymour, the previous Bell Captain, told me that when he first came to Offwell the Rector would sometimes play tunes on the chimes, but when I became Tower Captain I found that several of the pulleys which brought ropes down to the chime frame in the ringing chamber were jammed. The ropes themselves were unserviceable. Some were actually parted, others knotted together, all worn and frayed. After the first Covid lockdown Clive Whithear very kindly helped me bring the mechanism into working condition and on Christmas morning 2020 I was able to chime the bells to welcome parishioners to morning service.
News 2023
The two Offwell ladies who started their bell ringing tuition in 2022 are nearing completion of their training. We will then be able to ring all six bells for service with our own band, without outside help.
Our present ringers are Paul Hutchinson, David Pavey, Helen Sutton, Claire Griffiths and myself, John Tristram. Offwell Primary School continue to run a lunchtime club for children in Years 5 and 6. One child from last year’s group is interested in continuing and we are hoping to organise tuition for this child outside school.
Bell ringers at Tedburn St. Mary have come up with a rather compelling list of reasons for taking up bell ringing: “You may never have thought about taking up bell ringing but there are many advantages:
John Tristram, Bell Captain
February 2023
Trebles Going
www.treblesgoing.org.uk is a website financed by The Edna Grabham Memorial Education Trust for Bath and Wells Association of Change Ringers members and for those further afield.
Born into a ringing family Edna would often spend her holidays cycling round the country ringing. “We would ride till our bottoms were sore, then ring till our hands were sore!”
This website is full of fascinating information on all aspects of ringing and includes varied and interesting ‘Bits and Pieces’ sent in by visiting ringers. These include images of beautifully decorated tower boards and the following minutes from a 1927 Axbridge Branch meeting:
“Election of Local Secretary – Mr. H. Minifie of Weston-Super-Mare proposed that Mr. Leonard Tanner be elected, as Secretary to the Axbridge Deanery, because he had a Motor Cycle. This was seconded by Mr. Alex Evans of Burnham, who said he was going to propose the same man. I forget his reason – but anyway, it was carried.”
If you want to read more about bell ringing at St. Mary’s look for the document folder in church entitled ‘The History of Bell Ringing and The Ellacombe Chimes Bicentenary’.
John Tristram, Bell Captain
November 2022
News 2023
The two Offwell ladies who started their bell ringing tuition in 2022 are nearing completion of their training. We will then be able to ring all six bells for service with our own band, without outside help.
Our present ringers are Paul Hutchinson, David Pavey, Helen Sutton, Claire Griffiths and myself, John Tristram. Offwell Primary School continue to run a lunchtime club for children in Years 5 and 6. One child from last year’s group is interested in continuing and we are hoping to organise tuition for this child outside school.
Bell ringers at Tedburn St. Mary have come up with a rather compelling list of reasons for taking up bell ringing: “You may never have thought about taking up bell ringing but there are many advantages:
- You will make new friends
- You get to see parts of historic buildings that the general public never see
- You can ring in all weathers and every day of the week if you wish to
- You have free use of thousands of pounds worth of equipment
- It keeps you fit as you have a ‘workout’ that would cost a fortune at the gym – and you do not have to be very strong
- When you are good enough you can actually get paid for ringing
- You can ring anywhere in the world that has bells hung for change ringing
- You’ll be keeping alive a tradition that has been going for hundreds of years."
John Tristram, Bell Captain
February 2023
Trebles Going
www.treblesgoing.org.uk is a website financed by The Edna Grabham Memorial Education Trust for Bath and Wells Association of Change Ringers members and for those further afield.
Born into a ringing family Edna would often spend her holidays cycling round the country ringing. “We would ride till our bottoms were sore, then ring till our hands were sore!”
This website is full of fascinating information on all aspects of ringing and includes varied and interesting ‘Bits and Pieces’ sent in by visiting ringers. These include images of beautifully decorated tower boards and the following minutes from a 1927 Axbridge Branch meeting:
“Election of Local Secretary – Mr. H. Minifie of Weston-Super-Mare proposed that Mr. Leonard Tanner be elected, as Secretary to the Axbridge Deanery, because he had a Motor Cycle. This was seconded by Mr. Alex Evans of Burnham, who said he was going to propose the same man. I forget his reason – but anyway, it was carried.”
If you want to read more about bell ringing at St. Mary’s look for the document folder in church entitled ‘The History of Bell Ringing and The Ellacombe Chimes Bicentenary’.
John Tristram, Bell Captain
November 2022
St. Michael and All Angels, Farway
Tower Captain: Richard Hare: [email protected]
Ring of 6 bells. More information about the bells can be found on Dove’s Guide for Church Bell Ringers
St. Michael’s presently has seven regular ringers and practice night is on a Thursday. The bells are rung for most services with the help of ringers from Northleigh. St. Michael’s also welcomes visiting Bands.
Tower Captain: Richard Hare: [email protected]
Ring of 6 bells. More information about the bells can be found on Dove’s Guide for Church Bell Ringers
St. Michael’s presently has seven regular ringers and practice night is on a Thursday. The bells are rung for most services with the help of ringers from Northleigh. St. Michael’s also welcomes visiting Bands.
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Richard is always on the lookout for new ringers so please contact him if you are interested.
NB. More information about St. Michael’s can be found in The Link, July/August 2020 under ‘History and Heritage’. |
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St. Cuthbert's, Widworthy
Contact: Gwythian Prins: [email protected]
St. Cuthbert’s five bells date from 1756 to 1950.
More information about the bells can be found on Dove’s Guide for Church Bell Ringers.
The bells run in open bearings on a 19thC oak frame, assembled without nails by wooden pegs. The bells need lubrication before any prolonged ringing and consequently it is many decades since the bells were in regular use.
They are rung occasionally for weddings and they will be rung for Charles III Coronation (a quarter peal by Exeter ringers on Tuesday 9 th May 2023). Prof. Gwythian Prins regularly plays the Ellacombe chimes for Services.
NB. More information about St. Cuthbert’s can be found in The Link, July/August 2020 under ‘History and Heritage’.
Contact: Gwythian Prins: [email protected]
St. Cuthbert’s five bells date from 1756 to 1950.
More information about the bells can be found on Dove’s Guide for Church Bell Ringers.
The bells run in open bearings on a 19thC oak frame, assembled without nails by wooden pegs. The bells need lubrication before any prolonged ringing and consequently it is many decades since the bells were in regular use.
They are rung occasionally for weddings and they will be rung for Charles III Coronation (a quarter peal by Exeter ringers on Tuesday 9 th May 2023). Prof. Gwythian Prins regularly plays the Ellacombe chimes for Services.
NB. More information about St. Cuthbert’s can be found in The Link, July/August 2020 under ‘History and Heritage’.
