For some, good bells are the chief pleasure of Guild Week. Highlights included the ten at Lichfield Cathedral, the heavy eights at Alton and Brewood and the heavy six of Hoar Cross. Stafford's ten and the eight at St Modwen in the centre of Burton-on-Trent took more work to ring well, but provided good ringing once we had their measure. Some bells are more notable for their challenge or eccentricity. Peter Hill showed the rest of us how the tenor of Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent should be rung. Requiring much less effort to keep up, we visited Phil and Rowena Gay's one hundredweight mini-ring at Keele. Fours are eccentric enough for some Guild ringers and this week took in St Chad in Lichfield which has the added charm of ropes falling in the order 1324 and the cosy ring at Denstone where the founder of the Central Council, Sir A.P. Heywood, is buried.
For others peals are the thing. We had a mixed week losing tower bell peals of Stedman Cinques at Newcastle-under-Lyme, 8-spliced at Eccleshall, Grandsire Triples at Abbots Bromley, Stedman Caters at Stoke-on-Trent and Yorkshire on the Keele mini-ring. Attempts at Yorkshire Major and Kent Royal in hand were also lost.
Whether surprise major, handbell ringing or more exotic things Guild Week provides a chance to ring something different. This year's theme was a number of methods with cyclic lead ends producing plentiful rollups. Very musical once rung well the methods tended to sound like eccentric rounds as the band climbed the foothills of the learning curve.
Much of the pleasure of Guild Week of course is to meet up with friends one has not seen for a while and with interesting characters from all generations and it was good that the former president, Bill Ridgman, was able to join the Week for one day. Unusually there was no clergyman on Guild Week and so in lieu of having our own service, some of the Guild were welcomed to the local communion service on the Sunday morning.
Helping local ringers and grabbing as many towers as possible motivates some. Parties joined in ringing for Sunday service at several towers and there were trips out to local ringing each evening.
Guild Week also let us see many fine and varied churches. Highlights included the highly-decorated, Pugin church at Cheadle; graves and heraldry at Mavesyn; the sheer size of Hoar Cross; the wooden frame of Betley; and the modern church at Barlaston. Those with other interests found time to take in the Wedgwood visitor centre and the Foxfield Railway.
Good accommodation is important and thanks are due to the Wedgwood Memorial College in Barlaston. On top of ample space, plentiful and functional showers, and decent food the college both provided wine and allowed the Guild to provide its own beer. Thanks also to the towers who accommodated us and to Clarke Walters for organising the week.
RBSO
Barlaston, Staffs (Wedgwood Memorial College). 21 Aug, 1344 Yorkshire Surprise Major: Peter W Hill 1-2, Philip A B Saddleton 3-4, J Robert Johnson (C) 5-6, Christine R Hill 7-8.
This page created by Philip Saddleton
Last updated 4 September 2001