Author: wimborneringers

Audio, Belfry News, Quarter Peal

Wimborne Minster Ringers’ Summer Outing 2025

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The Wimborne Minster Ringers’ Summer Outing 2025 was a weekend affair based in St. Columb Major. Fourteen members of the band headed to Cornwall at different times and from different directions, firstly for a peal attempt at Phillack on the Friday afternoon. Sadly, a surreptitious swap caused the attempt to fail, but there was time to complete a successful quarter of Cornwall Surprise Major on these delightful Taylor bells – followed by even more delightful refreshment at The Bucket of Blood. The area has plenty of attractive and varied accommodation available after the summer throngs have departed, and everyone found somewhere to suit their preferences.

Saturday’s ringing began at the lovely six in St. Erme, followed by the two towers in Truro – Kenwyn and the Cathedral where we were joined by locals Jo and Andy, and a very accomplished ringing quartet who happened to be holidaying in the area. After quickly getting accustomed to the long draught and distinctive acoustics of the Cathedral ringing room we rang some pleasantly fluent Stedman, Cambridge and Bristol Maximus – and a helpful foretaste of the bells for the 2026 SW 12-bell competition.

Lunch was enjoyed in several places around the city, before we all headed to Probus, St. Stephen in Brannel and finally St. Columb Major for three excellent eight-bell towers where we were able to practise a special touch of Grandsire Triples for the forthcoming Guild Striking Competition as well as exploring a variety of other methods – including a successful attempt at a ‘scat’ raise. The evening was rounded off with a lovely relaxed supper at The Ring O’ Bells and a presentation to Harry as thanks for organising a wonderfully efficient, enjoyable and successful outing. 

Bell Ringing, Other Activities

National Youth Competition 2024

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On Saturday 6th July, four of our younger ringers enjoyed an exhausting but fantastic day in London for the Ringing World National Youth Competition (RWNYC).

The SDGR team, Go Bellistic! was placed joint 7th out of 13 teams in the 8-bell call changes competition at St Olave, Hart Street; Esther rang the 4th, Ben the 5th and James the tenor.

As well as ringing in the competition, everyone had a great time ringing at other churches in the City: St Dunstan in the West, St Vedast Foster Lane, St Magnus the Martyr, Christ Church Spitalfields and St Mary le Bow. The results ceremony was held in the magnificent surroundings of St Paul’s Cathedral, after a photo of all the groups was taken on the steps outside.

As we came out, the bells were being rung by the St Paul’s Cathedral Guild of Ringers – an awe-inspiring end to a memorable day.

All the competitors on the steps of St. Paul’s Cathedral
Wimborne Ringer Lila appeared on the publicity banner for the day
The Go Bellistic! Team
Belfry News, Bell Ringing, Other Activities, Video

Wimborne Ringers’ Day in Devon

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The Minster bell ringers took their skills to Devon for their annual outing on Saturday with ringing at six churches.  An early start was made at St Nicholas Sidmouth where the ten melodious bells cast by the Taylor bellfoundry in 1972 were rung well.  Following ringing the nearby cake shop offered a tasty allure.

The centrepiece of the day was Exeter Cathedral which like the Minster has twelve bells although Exeter’s are heavier providing a deeper tone, the largest bell, the tenor, weighing 72 cwt.

Visits followed to St Mark’s Exeter (10 bells), Ottery St Mary (8) one of its famous sons being Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Sidbury (8) and finally Axminster which has ten bells that are untypically loud in the ringing chamber.

Most of the 24 Minster ringers rounded off the day with dinner near Axminster and on Sunday morning were  back in action on the Minster ropes for pre Eucharist ringing – and later for Evensong ringing.

Videos of ringing at Sidmouth and Axminster and in the ringing chamber at Exeter Cathedral.

and the Sidbury churchyard entrance.

Sidmouth

Exeter Cathedral

Axminster

Band photo at Exeter Cathedral

Quarter Peal

Alan Bentley 16th December 1947 – 10th July 2024

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Alan retired to Verwood in 2015 following a successful career as an engineer in Buckinghamshire. He had learnt to ring as a teenager, became Master of the Southampton University Guild where he met his future wife Kathy, and they were both mainstays of the Aston Clinton band during their working life.

Alan’s ringing skills and experience were a great asset to us and he quickly established himself as a full-time member of the Wimborne Minster band. He relished the challenge of ringing on twelve bells, was an enthusiastic and committed teacher of our learner ringers, and sought out opportunities to support ringers further afield – notably the newly-formed band at Lytchett Matravers and at Ringwood where he became Tower Captain.

He rang in four peals at the Minster – including the ones to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday in 2016 and the birth of Prince Louis in 2018 – and also 88 quarter peals which were mostly for Sunday Choral Evensongs, the final one being in August last year.

Alan’s quiet manner, self-effacing personality and gentle humour were particular characteristics, as was his willingness to help anyone at any time. A keen member of the Wimborne Camera Club, Alan and Kathy mounted an exhibition of Ringing for Royal Events which is displayed in the Baptistry at appropriate times during the year, and they also organised a memorable ringing weekend for the Minster Band around churches in the Chilterns last September. This turned out to be one of the last times Alan rang with us.

Sadly, an illness first diagnosed in 2008 returned and despite the best of care from Bournemouth and Poole hospitals he was unable to recover and passed away peacefully with his family close by in July. A Service of Thanksgiving was held in the Minster on the 8th August, attended by his family and many ringing friends from around the country. We will miss him.

Bell Ringing, Peal Ringing, Video

Easter Monday Peal

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A peal of 5009 Stedman Cinques was rung on Easter Monday by the Wimborne Minster Society of Church Bellringers. All the members taking part in the peal are regular Sunday service ringers at the Minster which demonstrates the current strength of the local band. The peal was enjoyed by those participating and, we hope by those listening outside. Bellboard records would indicate that three other peals of Stedman Cinques were rung on Easter Monday at St Paul’s Cathedral, Worcester Cathedral and Great St Mary’s Cambridge (10300 changes) so we were in illustrious company!

Words by Tim Martin. Video by Ian Taylor

Peal Ringing

Wimborne Ringers at Inveraray

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There aren’t many towers further apart within the United Kingdom than Wimborne Minster and Inveraray. The round trip is just over 1000 miles. However, many would argue that Wimborne’s bells (cast by Gillett and Johnston in 1911) were the finest-sounding peal of ten in Dorset and Inveraray (cast by Taylor’s in 1920) are the best ten in Scotland.

A long-standing peal attempt scheduled for 2020 was scuppered by the pandemic, but reorganised once ringing was getting restarted for September 2023. Finding a cohesive band that is prepared to travel that distance, and ringers that are capable of ringing the heavy-end (the tenor weighs 41cwt) is not without its challenges, but a team was assembled and travel plans and accommodation were duly organised. Those with serious work commitments took flights from either Southampton (to Glasgow) or Bournemouth (to Edinburgh) whilst others had a more leisurely drive over a long weekend.

As readers of the Ringing World will have seen (in the 8th September 2023 edition), Inveraray bells were derelict for a significant part of their life, but the tower has had considerable attention in recent years to deal with the weather ingress, and the ringing chamber is now very comfortable and spacious with excellent acoustics. We were fortunate to start the peal in bright sunshine.

The choice of methods (Bristol, Cambridge, London and Yorkshire) provided for a good variety of hunting, dodging, places, points and fish-tails as well as keeping our concentration focused over the three hours and forty minutes which it required to complete the peal.

Louis Suggett gave a flawless performance on the tenor – metronomic in tempo and ably supported in rhythm and accuracy by the rest of the back-end – and we were all delighted when ‘that’s all’  brought this physically-exhausting and mentally-demanding peal to its successful conclusion.

View from the tower at Inveraray

The Band