Page 27 - Thrapston Life February 2022

THE BELLS!
News from the Belfry...
As we approach our own Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in the coming months we hope the bells will ring out again in celebration.
As with many other activities the ‘Covid’ pandemic has played havoc with bell ringing. After well over a year of ringing being severely restricted we have been able to make the first tentative steps to restoring ringing sessions at St. James’. In November on a very wet and stormy Saturday, a full peal was completed for the first time since Covid appeared on the horizon.
A full peal on eight bells generally comprises of five thousand changes. The method chosen was Thrapston Surprise Major in honour of the eight hundredth anniversary of St. James’ Church. It was composed by one of our local ringers with five thousand eight hundred changes being completed in just over three hours and ten minutes.
Bell ringing is a uniquely English craft. First evolving in ‘Good King Charles’ golden days it became increasingly popular through the later
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17th and 18th Centuries. The oldest ringing society is ‘The Ancient Society of College Youths’ founded in 1637 and still going strong.
Within our own Benefice we have twenty bells. St. James’ has the lovely ring of eight, cast by John Taylor’s Bell Foundry at Loughborough in 1897. High up in the Tower at St. Nicholas Islip are a smaller but very melodic ring of
six and although silent now, Holy Trinity at Denford also has six bells, some dating to 1680.
Bell ringing can give you a new and interesting hobby. It is an opportunity to ‘play’ the loudest and biggest musical instruments ever. It is also a very social activity as well as providing exercise for body, mind and spirit. Ringers come from all walks of life and range in age from ten years old to those in their eighties.
If you are interested in finding out more then please contact our Tower Captain, Ray Banner. Tel: 01832 730767.
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