Day 6 of Lilliputters saw us heading westwards to the Petworth area - but more on those beauties later! As the week drew on, tiredness was definitely setting in, but a good standard of ringing was maintained nonetheless.
The first tower of the day was the cracking little Gillett & Johnston six at Thakeham, where the back 5 were cast in 1925 and augmented with a treble in 1948. The bells went well and handled excellently, even if Josh did his best Marc impression! Ringing here includes Stedman and Spliced Doubles, as well as a game of “Catch The Steph” outside!
Next up were Pulborough, a very pleasant eight formed of mostly Taylor bells, last rehung in 2005 when the fourth was replaced. Stedman Triples and Spliced Surprise Major are featured here. The best picnic of the week was then enjoyed in the local park, where some of the group let their childish side out - Euan more so than most; it must be a Hertfordshire thing!
Then followed the highlight of the day; Petworth, a fabulous Gillett & Johnston eight dating from 1924, and hung in a brick tower. They sound terrific, and were an absolute joy to ring on; meaty and tuneful with a powerful hum. One to return to! Ringing featured here is Stedman Triples and some more Spliced - although we did also ring a course of Double Norwich, a definite highpoint of the week from the ringing front!
At the opposite end of the spectrum were Northchapel, where we were met by Nephew Smashley! The bells are a cute little Whitechapel six, five from 1998 and the treble installed in 2002. Here, Luke discovered his very own bell, and just had to ring the 4! Despite the lightness, they were easy to ring, albeit very loud and a bit shrill inside. Part of the raise and some Grandsire Doubles is captured here, and some Bob Minor outside, filmed from the “comfort” of Ashley’s car. Sadly, with time not on our side and a car breaking down, we didn’t have as long here as we’d have liked, but the bells were enjoyed by all.
From the sublime to the ridiculous, we moved onto the first three of the day - Fernhurst, another Whitechapel ring. Although only marginally bigger than Northchapel, they felt and sounded meatier, although the 2 made quite a racket when ringing!
And finally, my highlight of the whole Tour; a tower that wasn’t on the itinerary! At late notice, we were able to ring for the evening service on the three Taylor bells of Storrington RC Priory. Upon arrival, it was soon discovered some of the bells had no stays; a quick look upstairs revealed an immaculate belfry, the only minor drawback being the tenor was the only bell to have a stay! James, Cameron and Simon took the trebles between them, keeping them on the balance whilst David marshalled the tenor ringers, giving the ten of us who ventured out a chance to grab the tower. This was the first time the bells had been rung in over five years and was warmly welcomed by Father Charles and the congregation - a huge thank you to Father Charles for making us so welcome and allowing us to ring. Despite an extremely long draught, low sallies and excruciatingly loud bells (you could see them swinging through the floorboards!), they handled remarkably well, and they sounded superb! Exterior footage is courtesy of Lewis, who filmed while I did battle with a flighty treble!
Tea was fish and chips, as the car breakdown had squashed any hope of jacket potatoes! We sadly had to bid farewell to Captain Michael Simmonds, Pilot of the Roads, as he headed homewards with the minibus; a massive thank you to him for driving (and putting up with our singing!) all week.
Soon enough however, the evening entertainment was soon underway, with the Talent Contest as mad as billed. Congratulations to those who took part, but to Connor & Rachel for winning, and to Aaron for his unjudged but nonetheless hilarious look on “Teaching and Preaching” - and for soaking Ashley!
Next up: The Conclusion of the Tour - did we all make it to the end?!