00:00 St Lawrence Jewry
02:38 St Peter, Walworth
06:50 St Mary le Bow, Cheapside
Once again, The Lilliputters Guild’s Christmas outing took us into the great metropolis of London. Despite delays on the UK’s beloved rail network threatening to wreak havoc, some 20 members made it in for a day of ringing and socialising, travelling in from as far as Doncaster and - gulp - Brockenhurst to join the festivities.
Our first tower was the magnificent post-War eight at St Lawrence Jewry. The church, sited opposite the Guildhall, is a classic Wren design, replacing a previous building lost in the Great Fire of 1666. The original six bells were cast in 1679, and augmented to eight in 1710. However, after a rehang in 1930, the bells (tenor 30-1-22 in C#) were destroyed ten years later, on 29th December 1940, when a bomb hit the church. The replacement ring were cast by Mears & Stainbank of Whitechapel in 1957, and are one of, if not the, finest sounding eight in London (belying the vibe of the sparse ringing chamber!). Our visit was the last ringing on the bells ahead of some refurbishment work due to be undertaken in early 2024, when the clappers will be rebushed, the frame repainted, and new lighting installed, under the stewardship of Steeplekeeper Euan. The ringing featured here is taken from a couple of touches of Grandsire Triples (outside, inside, and from the belfry - where full permission was granted to go upstairs and view the bells). Whilst the footage here may seem a touch cursory, a bonus video will follow separately - coming soon to a KZread channel near you!...
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Following Jewry, there was time for a leisurely lunch at the Crosse Keys - with this, and a civilised start time at Jewry, nobody was sure whether Simon or an imposter organised this outing?! During this time, Secret Santa gifts were exchanged, although I am not sure if my special new hat made it onto camera during the day - something for you to keep an eye out for!...
The post-lunch tower, Walworth, is a perennial Putters favourite! These are a truly smashing light eight, cast in 1971 by Whitechapel, but transferred here from the redundant church of St Andrew, Waterloo in 2001. The previous bells - a 15cwt 8, cast in 1824 by Thomas Mears of Whitechapel, were transferred to Limehouse (where they were augmented to 10 in 2004). Somehow, they did fit into the diminutive little (10-foot square) tower, hung in a two-tier frame (4-on-4) but had become unsafe and derelict by the late 1910's. Their replacement are - for my money - amongst the best light eights going; they sound terrific, handle well, are crystal clear, and - best of all - we have always received the warmest of welcomes when ringing here! Today’s featured touches are some Yorkshire Surprise Major, and Josh’s special jump call-changes.
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Our third and final tower was a special treat. Having visited a ring of bells at Bow last Christmas, we were bound this year for the Bow bells, of Oranges and Lemons fame. It is said you are a true Cockney only if you were born within earshot of these bells (consequently, they are becoming a rare breed). Legend also has it that Dick Whittington turned back to take his place as Mayor of London upon hearing these bells (sadly, this is almost certainly untrue!). St Mary le Bow has a long and established history in ringing. The church is another Wren design, replacing a Great Fire loss (where at least six bells existed). A new ring of eight - with a tenor of some 53cwt - were installed in 1677; these in turn were replaced by a new ten in 1762, and augmented to 12 in 1881. Gillett & Johnston recast most of the ring in 1933, yet these bells were destroyed just eight years later during a German air raid on 11th May 1941. Whilst a couple of recordings do survive, one can only imagine how good they really sounded; a great loss. The present bells were cast in 1956 by Mears & Stainbank, but not hung until 1961. They sound magnificent, and are one of the clearest, punchiest twelves anywhere, but are also no pushover to ring. However, with maximum effort and placed bands, we achieved some very respectable ringing here. Featured is the start of a bob-course of Grandsire Cinques, and some Plain Hunt on 11 - bonus footage will again follow in due course. (All photos used here, including the belfry snaps, were taken on previous visits).
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Job done, all that was left to do was to wander the few hundred yards back down the road to finish the day off back in the Crosse Keys - where else?! A fine way to round off 2023, and we are looking forward to 2024 and all that it has to offer! :-)
(Much of the historical information in this description is courtesy of Dickon Love, and his excellent Love's Guide website: london.lovesgui.... Many congratulations also to Dickon on being awarded an MBE in the 2024 New Years Honours list.)