World Tour – The Bicester Branch

22nd August 201617th February 2021

On tour 2016

It is the holiday season and the Cole’s headed for Cornwall last week for a (well needed!) holiday. In between visiting the Lost gardens of Heligan (we found them!) and the Eden Project we visited former Islip ringer Rachel Holt and guess what we ended up doing? When bellringers go on tour, we go ringing!!#

Rachel took us to one of her new regular towers in the village of St German’s which is an 8 bell tower that rings call changes (Devon style) so a new experience for us! After ringing up on the back 5 (fairly fast) we rang down again (slower) and then back up again on 7. We rang call changes (they called “up” as I do :D) but there were some differences.. they gave a warning “prepare to stand” or something like that… before calling stand; calls were made not the preceding handstroke (as we do) but 2 handstrokes before – which gives you more time to think before the change. The sally is called the “fillet” .. something fishy about that.. and when you start ringing up, instead of one bell ringing, then two bells, then three etc, they all swing their bell once then pull hard to check the bell so the first the neighbours hear is all the bells in rounds.

They asked me to call some changes towards the end and Sarah led down getting them to miss and catch (our style).

It was a fun evening and nice to try a different style of ringing.

Anthony Cole

11th February 201518th February 2021

New York, New York! (2015)

In the second of our Bicester branch World Tour (or at least one of our members!) I have received the following report from Ian about his experiences in the Big Apple!!

I contacted the Trinity ringers via email, to ask if I could come along and ring with them whilst I’m working in New York at JFK. I had a lovely reply welcoming me to NY and to come along to ring. Trinity church, from the outside, looks like a quaint little church, but once inside you realise that it’s only it’s setting amongst all the skyscrapers in the financial district of Manhatton that give it the appearance of being small. There are 12 bells and the ringing chamber is bigger than Bicester! The bells were all hung in 2006 and go really well. I rang the 24cwt tenor and it goes so much better than the (slightly) lighter tenor in Buckingham and no box to stand on! Practice is on a Wednesday night from 6.30 to 9 pm, ringers travel from all round NY and this gives them time to travel in to the city.

We started off ringing Grandsire and Plain Bob doubles then a touch of PB minor, before hunting on 9 and even rounds and calls on 12 – a first for me! I was then treated to some excellent ringing, including Superlative major and spliced Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Superlative. I went back to ring on Sunday before the service, to find there was a quarter attempt, they attempt quarters every Sunday prior to ringing before the service – something we could try in Bicester branch?? Going back tomorrow, Wednesday evening practice and I’ve been given homework to learn the bobs to grandsire, which I haven’t done yet!! Hannah is due to visit next week and I’ll take her along so she can ring on 12 too. Will let you know how we get on!!

If I’m honest, a Quarter Peal every Sunday isn’t likely, but we do need to perhaps try a few more each year 😀

29th December 201417th February 2021

World Tour #1

The Bicester branch are going large and touring the world.. well.. one of our members is anyway, and ringing where there are bells.

Ian’s most recent trip has led him to Calgary, Canada from where he writes:

I went ringing Xmas eve after work and again yesterday, Christmas morning. The Calgary ringers are really friendly and I was made to feel very welcome. They had had a busy day Christmas eve, with 3 services to ring for but I was only able to make it for the last one at 9.45 pm. There were 7 of us in the end and we rang some touches of plain bob minor and doubles and a touch of grandsire doubles too. I was able to ring inside for plain bobs and rang the tenor behind for grandsire. Call changes are called the other way round here and I managed to get completely lost!
Christmas morning saw us ring all 8 of the Calgary bells, with some very nicely struck rounds and call changes – I managed to grab the tenor so as not to mess things up! We also had a couple of good attempts at touches of plain bob doubles and successfully rang plain course of plain bob minor.
Hoping to ring again on Sunday weather permitting, ringing only gets cancelled when it drops below -20!

Christ Church in Calgary has a ring of 8 bells (8-2-0 in Bb).

Keep an eye open for the next instalment of Ian’s World Tour..