In June the flyer cautiously promised the best Guild Week ever. When a week before we were due in Kent a well-formatted twenty-page guide dropped through our letter-boxes we wondered if the organiser had had time to organise the week as well.
The start was inauspicious. We arrived in Kent early one Saturday to learn that the first peal tower at Wrotham was unavailable due to a memorial service. A quarter was scored nonetheless and the local ringers generously invited us to return later. Meanwhile in Rochester the town-crier was attempting to make himself heard over what sounded like a Guild peal. Having been spurned by a wedding party for the attractions of bag-pipes, we were finally able to ring at Ashford before making our way to our accommodation at Wye College. A better place to make a Cambridge group feel at home could hardly be imagined with a fine collection of old creeper-bedecked courts. A good number of undergraduates were able to attend this year with some camping and others staying at a house in Wye. Those not partaking of the plentiful food at the college took advantage of the fine curry house across the road.
Sunday morning dawned bright and sunny for a visit to the sea-side. A warming peal of Grandsire Maximus at Quex Park gave those ringing a good thirst, and the pub was drunk dry afterwards. For the record we must admit that they were drunk dry of lemonade. The non-peal ringers went on to enjoy ringing at Chislet and eating the sea-food at one of the excellent pubs to be found in Kent. After lunch we made it to the sea-side to ring at Margate where braver souls immersed themselves in the sea. Thence we made our way to the challenging ring at Minster where those who found the right speed produced some excellent ringing, and home by the bells of Sturry. With well over thirty people around at once, some diversions from general ringing are necessary, and so while on Monday some headed West via grass-tinged lanes to ring at the fine, heavy eight at Lenham, to brush up our ten bell ringing at Leeds, and to enjoy the bells of Chart Sutton; a peal of spliced was rung at Birling and a quarter peal at Boughton Monchelsea. Afternoon ringing took in Rochester where the we rang a fine touch of spliced surprise royal. Ten bell ringing did not go quite so well the next morning when a peal of London Surprise Royal was lost at Maidstone.
Wednesday started early with Holy Communion in Wye church before breakfast. Well filled with bacon, eggs and hash browns we set off through the narrow country lanes once more. The day's peal ringing had mixed fortunes: one of the week's many hand-bell peal attempts was lost at Canterbury Cathedral., a slightly false peal was rung at Whitstable; but the Guild's reputation was restored at Birchington-on-Sea where Lincolnshire was scored in a respectable interval. In the evening the Guild was introduced to the game of bat and trap: a Kent game much where alternately the batter hits a ball he 'bowls' to himself with a mechanical trap and the bowler bowls the ball back at the trap.
Thursday's peal ringing went well with an excellent peal of Stedman being scored at Wye and with a peal of minimus at Addington counted though in five languages, finishing with Latin. General ringing started at the ancient Brookland campanile, and proceeded via the splendid eight at Lydd and Stone's anti-clockwise six to Benenden. There, after some well-filled baguettes for lunch and some general ringing we were invited for tea at the Lebon's home. Despite the heavy lunch we did our best to do justice to a selection of excellent cakes and scones while we enjoyed the sound of a peal of Double Norwich in the background. The Guild Week meeting in the evening proceeded swiftly in absence of the Guild motto protagonists: Kent with "Invicta" proclaims the merits of brevity, if not reality. Not content with all this, some of the youngsters made productive use of the time when others were sleeping to ring a peal of plain bob minor in hand, the first hand-bell peal on a Guild Week since 1982.
Friday brought the only definitive lockout of the week, after some unsuccessful attempts, when a fine peal of Cornwall did not start. Strength was restored at the well-placed pub adjacent to the challenging bells at Borden. The afternoon finished with ringing on the new bells at Tunstall. Saturday morning brought up the twelfth peal of the week, while general ringing finished at Sellindge where the Guild were treated to tea and some excellent home-made biscuits by Peter Small. Many thanks are due to Dickon Love for organising the week.
Roll on Yorkshire next year.
Wrotham, Kent 17 Aug, 1996 1280 Bristol S. Major N.C.Sturgess 1, P.K.Williamson 2, S.Farrar 3, F.A.N.Finch 4, A.Johnson 5, R.B.S.Oakeshott 6, M.J.Bright 7, A.P.Shepherd (C) 8.
Boughton Monchelsea, Kent 19 Aug 1996 1296 Cambridge S. Minor Veronica Parry 1, I.G.Vincent 2, Hazel M. Rothera 3, R.M.Damerell 4, A. Johnson 5, H.F.Pettifer (C) 6.
Wye, Kent (33, Church St) 19 Aug 1996 1344 Plain Bob Major (Comp. A.E.Holroyd) I.G.Vincent 1-2, J.R.Johnson 3-4, M.J.Bright 5-6, A.E.Holroyd (C) 7-8.
Wye, Kent (The Old Hall, Wye College) 20 Aug 1996 1360 Kent T.B. Royal C.N.Sheasby 1-2, J.R.Johnson 3-4, M.J.Bright 5-6, A.E.Holroyd (C) 7-8, N.J.H.Small 9-10.
Cranbrook, Kent 20 Aug 1996 1280 Bristol S. Major Christine R. Hill 1, F.E.Roberts 2, M. Susan Threlfall 3, R.B.S.Oakeshott 4, M.J.Bright 5, Alison M. Godfrey (C) 6, B.H.Taylor 7, P.W.Hill 8.
Queenborough, Isle of Sheppey, Kent 23 Aug 1996 1296 Cambridge S. Minor Karen F. Hindmarch 1, C.M.P.Johnson 2, H.F.Pettifer 3, R.M.Damerell 4, Alice Pearson 5, B. G. Meads (C) 6.
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Last updated 26 September 1996