Newnham
Parish Northamptonshire
Web Site.Newnham Bell-Ringers
The
tower at Newnham Church has a ring of six bells, all dating from the mid
17th century. The lightest bell - no.1 (in sets of rings always named
the Treble) weighs 5cwt 8lbs (258kilos) and the heaviest - no.6 (always
named the Tenor) weighs 13cwt 1lb (661kilos).
n order that ringing may proceed it is always necessary to ring the bells from the 'down(at-rest) position to the 'up' (ready-to-ring position) - as photographs.
In the early days, as shown left, Newnham church bells were rung from the open space beneath the tower. In 1939-1940 the bells were retuned and re-hung, the ropes being repositioned within the tower itself.
We are always looking for new members, and bell-ringing is a really different experience. Why don't you give it a try! You might be surprised! For details on how to become a Bell-Ringer please call, John Harding tel;- 01327-705681
The current band, seen below, consists of a lively group of people of all ages and from diverse backgrounds.
With
the exception of one person who lives in Everdon, we all live
in Newnham. Practice takes place on Tuesdays from 8:00pm to 9:00pm and
you'll nearly always see us at the Romer Arms afterwards - it's very
thirsty work! The object of the exercise is of course, to ring for
a half-hour before Sunday-Service, for weddings and other services that
may take place at the church; in 2005 we rang for a half-hour to
commemorate the bi-centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar on 21st
October. However, it is also common practice to meet up with other
ringers at other towers and also take part in ringing-tours in other
parts of the country. It has been the privilege of many of our number to
ring at some of the finest towers in the country: Lincoln,
Bristol, Peterborough, Southwark, Gloucester and Liverpool cathedrals as
well as beautiful churches such as St.Mary Redcliffe - Bristol, Beverley
Minster and the famous St.Mary-le-Bow (the Bow Bells) in Cheapside,
London.
It is a very social exercise. As a group we also enjoy some non-ringing events each year: a Christmas Dinner at The Romer Arms, a pantomime in Northampton and a barbeque in Newnham in the summer.
To ensure that the Newnham bells are kept ringing, we are always looking to recruit new members - it can take a lot of time and perseverance to learn to ring but I can assure you that the rewards are great. Any adult is welcome to learn but children (for reasons of height and size) need to be aged ten or over. So, come and join us at the tower on Tuesdays and enjoy learning what is almost exclusively an English art. See you there!
Minutes of the meetings of 'Newnham Parish Council.
January meeting February meeting March meeting April meeting May meeting June meeting
July meeting September meeting October meeting November meeting December meeting
