BELL RINGERS IN BLOXHAM KEPT THE BELLS RINGING BEFORE THE KINGS CORONATION IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY |
front Row: Andrew Whiffin, Dawn Gibbs, Oleg Medvedev, Catherine Fairbank, Amy MacDonald. Back Row: Isabel Hands, Blue Watson, Alan Griffin, Donald MacDonald.
Bell ringers in Bloxham kept the bells ringing
before the King's Coronation in Westminster Abbey
The Bloxham band rang the bells from 9.15 to 9.45am in South Newington as they do not have any bell ringers - and then they managed to ring the bells in Bloxham from 10 to 10.30am.The team included Andrew Whiffin, Dawn Gibbs, Oleg Medvedev, Catherine Fairbank, Amy MacDonald, Isabel Hands, Blue Watson, Alan Griffin and Donald MacDonald
Alan Griffin said: "In January 2023 I put a poster in the Bloxham Broadsheet inviting people to "Ring for the King""One of the ringers who rang for the Coronation answered my poster. It was Dawn Gibbs. She had her first lesson on February 10. have given her seven one-hour lessons, and she can now handle a bell competently, and can ring 'Call Changes'.
To find our more about bell ringing in Bloxham, visit: https://www.stmarysbloxham.org.uk/bellringing.htm or email ajg@argonet.co.uk
Bellringing
A new
Hobby! Give it a try.
Have you got: muscles? a brain?
Ringing is FUN!
Are you aged from 10 to 80 ?
We ring on Sunday mornings from 9.00 - 9.30
Practices are on Friday evenings 7.30 - 9.00
If you would like to try it, contact:
Alan Griffin
Tel: 720359 ajg@argonet.co.uk
History of the bells of Bloxham
The church tower has a ring of eight bells. The fifth be
ll was cast in about 1570, possibly by John Appowell of Buckingham. James Keene of Woodstock cast the tenor bell in 1648. Abel Rudhall of Gloucester cast the sixth bell in 1750. James Barwell & Co of Birmingham cast the treble, second, third and seventh bells in 1903.[They are the heaviest ring of change-ringing bells in the World that are rung from the ground floor, inside the church.
In 1903 the treble and second were added to the 6 but shortly after installing all eight bells ringing was prohibited because of the movement of the tower and spire. Limited ringing resumed in the latter part of the
1940s and then bells were rehung in 1956. The photo shows the bells on the tower floor. Before rehanging they were rung from upstairs.
1956 Bells rehung
Early History
The church has also a Sanctus bell that was cast in about 1599, and a service bell that John Warner & Sons of Cripplegate, London cast in about 1899.
In the same year John Taylor & Co were called in to look at the bells . They reported that the fittings were of a rough and clumsy and unscientific construction, the bells were badly and unevenly hung and the framework was too weak, light and rickety. They went on to say no wonder it took three men to ring the Tenor bell. They suggested that the framework needed to be of iron with steel supporting girders which would support both the heavy bells and tie the tower together. The estimate to do the work was £308 ! and it was decided not to act upon Taylors estimate which in the light of the costs involved may have been a mistake.
In 1903 two new trebles were offered to augment the bells to eight on the condition that the bells were rehung. The work was given to James Barwell of Birmingham at a cost of £352.15.2d. After much work the eight bells were heard for the first time at Whitsun 1904. Some years late in 1921 there were concerns that there were problems with the tower and by 1924 £700 was raised
to repair the tower. By Christmas Eve 1924 the bells rang out for the first time in two years.
By 1955 when the bells had been ringing regularly the tenor bell was found to have a cracked headstock. The bells were removed in January 1956, repaired and rehung and were rung for the first time on October 6th 1956. Several problems were overcome and today the Tower Captain, our own Alan Griffin is justly proud of his eight bells and his biggest problem is finding regular ringers to ring them !
