Category: District News

The grass doesn’t grow under Church Stretton district ringers

The Church Stretton district practice on Saturday 17 October 2026 was held at Montgomery, Powys, in the Welsh Marches.

It was a lovely drive to Montgomery with bright sunshine showing off the borderland scenery.  Autumnal colours of golden, yellowing leaves with pockets of lingering low cloud added to the landscape. Picture above: Autumnal colours seen from the churchyard.

St Nicholas Church is perched on top of a hill overlooking the Vale of Montgomery to the East and the town to the West.  The interior houses an ornate family tomb of the Herbert family and the churchyard contains The Robber’s Grave.  The local legend is that in 1821 John Davies of Wrexham was sentenced to death by hanging at Montgomery for highway robbery.  He protested his innocence and is said to have prayed to God that no grass should grow on his grave for 100 years as a sign of his innocence.  It is said that the grave remained bare for well over a century.

St Nicholas Church perched on top of a hill

Twelve of us attended the practice on the 6 bells (tenor 12 cwt) which were easy to handle, except for the 5th which tended to suddenly drop.

A wide variety of methods were rung including Plain Hunt, Plain Bob Doubles, Grandsire Doubles, Stedman Doubles, and Ipswich, London and Cambridge Surprise Minor, interspersed with tea and cake.

Jenny Ferguson
Church Stretton District Assistant Ringing Master

What a day out!

The Church Stretton District Outing 2026 was held on 12th September.  Fourteen of us met at St Mary’s church, Ellesmere for the start of a day in which we aimed to visit five churches around North Shropshire and North Wales, with a well anticipated lunch thrown in.

St Mary’s, a beautiful Grade 1 listed building has a ring of 8 bells which were accessed by a set of very steep stairs, but the climb was worth it.  All of the bells date from the 18th century, with the oldest three bells cast by Abraham Rudhall II in 1727.  Although relatively heavy to ring, they had a very melodious ‘warm’ sound to them.  A spacious ringing room meant that we could easily sit and observe those who were ringing.  Interestingly in the middle of the circle was a large, cream-coloured animal hide – cow we think – which you might notice in the group photo above with Jenny, Neil, Rosie, John, Alice, Ian, Ian, Tony, Paul, Richard and Jan.

A short drive took us next to St Martin of Tours church, St Martin’s.  This delightful little church with a ring of 6 bells had a smaller ringing room which comfortably accommodated the now 18-strong band.  The bells there were lighter than St Mary’s but with a sound that was just as pleasing, and ringing was easier as a result.  The ringing room had a window ‘wall’ with a view through to the nave and the altar.  A small Juliet-style window ledge also gave a beautiful view out over the surrounding graveyard and beyond.  What I did find very interesting was a working Ellacombe chiming apparatus, complete with mini-sallies.  Richard explained how the apparatus was connected to chiming hammers so that a single person could chime rounds, changes or even tunes on the bells when they were down.

Ellacombe chiming apparatus
Ellacombe chiming apparatus with mini sallies at St Martin’s

By this time everyone was ready for lunch and some very welcome refreshment at The Keys pub at St Martin’s.  The food was delicious and very filling.

Then on to St Mary’s church, Chirk where last year the bells had been rehung and augmented to a ring of 8.  This was the lightest of our 5 towers at just over 7cwt and a good opportunity around the front to practice on very light bells.  The more experienced rang very well struck Grandsire Triples and also Plain Bob Triples, whilst I practiced Plain Hunt on 5.  The bells of Chirk proved to be a delight to ring.

The penultimate tower was St John the Baptist church, Whittington just a short distance from Whittington Castle.  Access to the ringing room was by an easy to ascend metal spiral staircase.  The 6 bells were easy to control and the resulting ringing had a beautiful soft tone.  Taking a moment away from ringing, it was nice to get the opportunity to look around the church itself.  Obviously a well-loved and equally well-used church, its charm was underscored by beautiful, and colourful, leaded windows and the extremely pretty organ with intricate wood-carvings and decorated organ pipes.

And so we reached our final tower at St Oswald King and Martyr church, Oswestry.  I have been into the body of the church a number of times but never up the bell tower.  What a lovely tower it is too!  The tenor was outstanding as there was a large box for the tenor ringer to ring from.  Watching the band and practicing my rope sight soon gave way to the other items of interest around the tower.  There was clear evidence from the peal boards that many peals had been rung here.  The earliest I found was from 1731 of a ‘Whole Peale of Tripples’ and the latest from 2017.

at Oswestry
Paul, Richard, Alice, Ian, Neil, Chris, Jenny, Helen, Ian, Jan, Liz, Tony and Alex at Oswestry (Not in the photo: Roger, John, Rosie, Paul, and Jackie behind the camera)

Those in need of refreshment retired to The Oak Inn across the road to recall the events of the day and compare notes on the towers and bells.

A massive thank you to Jenny Ferguson for organising this outing to some excellent rings of bells.  Not only did I enjoy the day immensely but I learnt a lot too.

Jackie Morris

RingFest 2026 Strikes the Right Note

St John the Baptist’s Church, Bishop’s Castle was the venue on 15th August for the newly introduced RingFest and Open Day.

Many ringers, from various towers were asked to display posters advertising the event, which gave attendees the opportunity to ring at a tower they may not already have rung at, or with people they have never rung with.  It also offered the opportunity for non-ringers to have a go on both a portable mini ring and tower bells.

Over 250 people took the opportunity to come and look around the beautiful St John the Baptist’s Church, with many of them coming from the town itself to see ‘what was happening’!

Local ringers came to ring with others from towers across Shropshire and Herefordshire, and those with less experience were encouraged to ring with more experienced ringers.  This was itself a valuable opportunity.  There were about 75 ringers in all.  Those that were not ringers were encouraged to ‘have a go’ and as a result the tower (and some others around here) can expect to welcome new learners to the art of ringing.

Visitors having a go on tower bells, supervised by Martin and Jenny

There were other attractions for those that came – one being the opportunity to ring on the ‘Peals on Wheels’ mini ring – a portable metal framed tower made by the acclaimed Matthew Higby.  Although the bells in the mini ring are very light, they were a delight to ring and it was satisfying to see both adults and children ringing them.  Within the church was a demonstration of handbell ringing, which again was open to everyone to try – and many did!

Helen and Alex put budding handbell ringers through their paces

And then it was time for a cup of tea and piece of cake!  The choices were wonderful – and slices large – and the team serving them very friendly and welcoming to the church.

Pete, Angie, Sue and Margaret very happy after their tea and cake

I came with a friend from Meole Brace tower and we both want to extend our thanks for a wonderful day to Neil, Mark, Jenny and Ashley for the hard work, time and effort that they put into planning and executing the day.  Special thanks to all the stewards whose collective enthusiasm and willingness to engage were key to the event’s success.  And also many thanks to Martin, Helen, the refreshments team, the church and PCC at Bishop’s Castle for their support.  I for one think it was a great success and I look forward to next year’s event.

Chris, Richard, Sue, Margaret, Jackie and Tim in action on the mini ring

I would also like to mention – and thank – the team that took on the task of introducing newbies to the art of bellringing.  Encouraging people to the ropes was (relatively) easy but at that point it was necessary to hand over these complete novices to the experts.

Bell ringers from 4 different towers ringing together

I hope these photos demonstrate the helpfulness, friendliness and enjoyment of the day.

Jackie Morris

Splendid turnout at Stoke St Milborough

It was a bumper district practice at Stoke St Milborough on Saturday 20 June!

For those interested, Ashley Smith provided a demonstration of the Stoke St Milborough ringing simulator.  His eager students were then able to ring plain hunt, plain bob doubles, a course of Yorkshire Surprise Major and two leads of Glasgow Surprise Major on the simulator before the start of the district practice on open bells.

Twenty-three of us attended the practice on the 8 bells of St Milburga, Stoke St Milborough, led by Ringing Master, Mark Gilham.

It was great to see not only a good turnout of Stoke St Milborough ringers but ringers from across the district, all keen to catchup with friends and make the most of the practice in a relaxed and supportive atmosphere.

We practiced quite a variety of methods that were requested:

      • Call changes on 8
      • Plain Bob Triples
      • Superlative Surprise Major
      • Grandsire Triples
      • Yorkshire Surprise Major
      • Stedman Triples
      • Bristol Surprise Major

Part-way through the practice we took a break for tea and cake, followed by a brief business meeting.

Julie Quinn of Cuckfield was proposed as a non-resident life member by Paul Wells and seconded by Mark Gilham.  Penny Bellis of Stoke St Milborough was proposed as a member by Ashley Smith and seconded by Sue Rees.  Paul Cross of Ludlow was proposed as a member by Tim Hughes and seconded by Rosie Marshall.  Julie, Penny and Paul’s election was agreed unanimously.

Michael Carding provided an overview of Shropshire Association Centenary events over the coming months, including the Centenary Service at St Chad’s, Shrewsbury in July, walking tour and mobile belfry in August, and open towers in September.  Details of events will be available on the Shropshire Association of Church Bellringers website.

Mark Gilham then provided a brief summary of future Church Stretton District events, including the Guild Competition Day on 18 July, the Ringing Festival (‘RingFest 2026’) on 15 August and the District Outing to Shropshire and North Wales on 12 September.

Ringing resumed after the meeting, although there was plenty of cake to keep everyone fortified!

We do hope you’ll join us for RingFest 2026 which will be at St John’s, Bishop’s Castle, on Saturday 15 August, 10.30am ’til 4.30pm.  We’d like bands from across the district to showcase their ringing in a non-competitive way, either on St John’s tower bells, on the ‘Peals on Wheels’ mini-ring or both.  Is your band short of a few ringers for the RingFest?  No problem – borrow some ringers on the day.

Neil Pirie
Church Stretton District Secretary

Hey ding a ding, ding in Chirbury

The district practice at Chirbury on Saturday 16 May had a new twist.  It took place at the same time as a massive jumble sale in the church.  “Are you a Bellringer or a Jumbler?” was the greeting from the jovial fellow on the door.

Fourteen of us attended. We again had a good mix of abilities and I am so pleased that Chirbury ringers, Claire and Tony, joined us, along with ringers from other local towers.  We practiced quite a variety of methods that were requested.Church Stretton District practice at Chirbury

We rang:

      • Call changes on 6
      • Plain Bob Doubles (both plain course and touch)
      • Plain hunting on 5
      • London Surprise Minor
      • Grandsire Doubles (both plain course and touch)
      • Plain Bob Minor (touch)
      • Stedman Doubles
      • Cambridge Surprise Minor.

A nomination for membership had been received from Geoff Lowe at Condover, and so a brief business meeting was convened.  Michael Carding of Condover was proposed by Jenny Ferguson and seconded by Jackie Morris.  Michael’s election was agreed unanimously.

After ringing, teas and coffees were kindly provided down in the church by the jumble sale refreshment team whilst we enjoyed a selection of bellringer-made cakes.  Hmmm!

We do hope you’ll join us for the next district practice which will be at St Milburga’s, Stoke St Milborough, on Saturday 20 June, 10am ’til noon … followed by tea and more CAKE.

If there is something you haven’t rung for a long time at your own tower, come along and ring it at a district practice!

Church Stretton District practice at Chirbury

Neil Pirie
Church Stretton District Secretary
Hereford Diocesan Guild of Bellringers

ch_str_sec@hdgb.org