January 2003

It seems a long time ago now but December got off to a good start with the installation of George Bush as Rector of St Mary-le-Bow. The Master and I attended the service, which was preceded and followed by ringing. There was a good turnout of ringers present, many of them Society Members. At the reception afterwards the Master managed to be photographed with a pearly king and queen to recognise the importance of Bow Bells as the qualification for being born a cockney. Not that many people literally meet the requirement these days.

As is becoming customary, the December Meeting was held at Davy's Wine Bar, Creed Lane, which is becoming our second home. The room there is not ideal, being an irregular shape, but our usual headquarters pub cannot accommodate us in the run up to Christmas because of the demand for parties generating more income than we can.

The following week saw the London Ringers' Christmas Social on Wednesday 18 December, once again at Davy's. We needed a good turnout to meet the room charge levied by the wine bar and it was a relief when a large number of ringers turned up. The evening followed the normal pattern of plenty to drink and good company. Judging by the rising volume of some voices as the evening wore on there were probably a few sore heads the following day. To work up a thirst, 12 of us managed a quarter of Ascension Cyclic Bob Max at Bow before the event.

Christmas brought a pause in official Society events but no shortage of ringing. The final official Society event of the year was a practice at St Paul's on New Year's Eve. This would have been sparsely attended had there not been a group of ringers from Liverpool in town prior to attempting a quarter at Westminster Abbey the following day. We were pleased to welcome them to the practice but the resulting attendance was high and it was not possible to give everyone a good ring in the time available. Following the practice we adjourned to the Founders Arms, Bankside where some of us had to wait before ringing in the New Year at St Paul's. For those of us who had to drive, it seemed a long time to nurse a single pint of beer and a lot of mineral water but restraint was certainly justified in my case as I was stopped by the police on the way home.

A major event for the Society this year will be the planned tour of Australia and New Zealand in September. I am pleased to say that there is a big enough party signed down to make the tour viable, although at the time of writing there is room for a few more people. Once the tour party is finalised and we know how many people we will be dealing with we can start the more detailed planning.

Good ringing,

Phil Rogers.

February 2003

No update for February 2003.

March 2003

The intention is to have a trip which is a lot more than just a 12 bell peal tour. We are hoping to ring at other towers with a mixture of peals, quarters, practice and service ringing. We hope that as many of our "down under" Members and friends will be able to join us in our activities. We are also planning two more formal occasions: a dinner in Sydney as part of a long weekend of ringing in the City which coincides with Society Peal Weekend, and a Business Meeting in Perth at the end of the Tour, the first in Australasia and the furthest we have ever been from our home base in London.

One thing which did happen in January was a debate at the Meeting on the merits or otherwise of ringing jointly attributed peals. The discussion took place against the background of a peal rung at St Mary-le-Bow which was credited jointly to the Society and the Cambridge University Guild. Members were divided as to whether we should discourage such peals or follow the Central Council and accept them provided the Society is the first named. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the argument, joint peals are not a new phenomenon. I was Appleton this weekend for the annual March 4^th celebration and there are 2 peal boards in the tower there recording 6 peals rung in the 19^th Century (3 of them long lengths) jointly for the Oxford Diocesan Guild, the Ancient Society of College Youths and Appleton Society (in that order). There is also a board recording the famous record length of Stedman Caters in the 1920’s rung jointly for the ODG and the Society (again in that order).

The February Meeting was the first I have missed since I took over as Secretary. I was laid low with a nasty gastric flu bug for several days and was very unwell on the day of the Meeting. David House was elected to act as Secretary for the Meeting and did a very professional job with no notice. His rich baritonal reading of the Minutes was particularly appreciated.

As always at this time of year, my main preoccupation over the next few weeks will be the Annual Newsletter, although I will be taking a break to go over to Dublin to attempt a Society peal on the 16 bells of Christchurch Cathedral on St Patrick’s Day. I rang on the bells when they were a 10 but have not yet rung on the 16. By all accounts it is a challenge to get good ringing there but we have a strong band and are hoping for the best.

The following weekend we are at Stourbridge for the 12 Bell Contest Eliminators. Let us hope that we produce a performance more like the 2002 Sheffield eliminator and less like the Final at Winchester when we rather sank to the occasion.

The Informal Dinner this year will be on Friday 11^th April at what is becoming the usual venue, Davy’s Wine Bar, Creed Lane. Tickets are available from me at a price of £25. Numbers are limited so book early to avoid disappointment.

Good ringing,

Phil Rogers.

April 2003

First the good news. The peal of Bristol 16 at Christchurch Cathedral was duly scored as part of a highly enjoyable long weekend in Dublin. I think we acquitted ourselves well on a challenging ring of bells. We were very lucky with the weather. The sun shone throughout and we saw the St Patrick’s Day Parade at its best.

More good weather and good news the following weekend when we went to Stourbridge for the 12 bell eliminator. We were second to the Birmingham band, who produced an excellent piece of ringing on bells which they know well. We were pleased with our performance but recognise that a lot of work is going to be needed if we are to stand a chance of doing well in the Final. The Master has a series of practices planned which should help us to put on a good performance at Surfleet.

Turning to the Dinner, we were disappointed to learn some time ago that we were being faced with a 40% increase in the room charge this year and the likelihood of a further increase in 2004. This was compounded during March when I heard that we are also likely to incur a substantial increase of £5 plus in the meal charge from next year. The combination of the two increases means that we are going to have to look for a new home for the Dinner from next year. A shame, because we have enjoyed our connection with Accountants Hall. It will not be easy to find somewhere in Central London which gives us everything which we want at an acceptable price. However, we are going to have to try. Any suggestions gratefully received.

It is the Informal Dinner next Friday and it looks like we will have a turnout of about 60, a bit down on last year but well up to other years and likely to be a bit more comfortable than the 70 we had last time.

From next weekend my time is going to be pretty well taken up with the Newsletter. Hopefully by the time next update goes out it will be finished and sent out.

Good ringing,

Phil Rogers.

May 2003

The Informal Dinner seemed to be generally enjoyed. As expected, numbers were a bit down on last year but this worked in our favour in that we had a bit more space. The smaller numbers did not seem to stop people enjoying themselves. The pictures on the Web Site are well worth a look.

The April Meeting was marked by the largest number of new Member proposals for many years, 12 in all. We have been doing well for new Members in recent years but the last few months have seen a slackening off and I think this is probably bringing us back up to speed.

Finally, we have been shocked by 3 unexpected deaths. Firstly David Heighton of Norwich, who died suddenly of a heart attack. Then our Senior Member, Frank Darby, who was elected in 1924, died in hospital. Frank was 97 and was the last Member on our current Address List to be elected in the 1920’s. Finally, and the biggest shock of all, Clive Buswell collapsed and died on holiday in Spain. Clive was only in his 30’s and his many friends in the Society share the grief and shock of his family.

On a happier note, at the end of the month we are holding a "London meets the North West" peal weekend in and around Manchester. Jeff Brannan has put together an impressive array of towers plus a dinner at a price which we can only dream about in London. I am really looking forward for what should be a first class occasion.

Good ringing,

Phil Rogers

June 2003

As I suggested in the last Update, the May Meeting was a heavy one. As it turned out, we had four obituaries, all of them notable in their own way. Frank Darby, our senior Member who recorded an incredible 79 years’ Membership this year. David Heighton, Member for 40 years and a well known and respected ringer in the Norwich area. Clive Buswell, tragically in his 30’s, and about to get married. And, at the last minute, another long standing Member, Tom Cullingworth of Maidstone, elected in 1944. As would be expected, the tributes took a long time with little repetition. It was one of the occasions when the Society’s respect for it history and its Members was very much to the fore.

The Meeting was also notable for the number of new Members elected – 11. This is not a record, but we have to go back to January 1985 to beat it. By any reckoning it compares well with 1998, our worst year in living memory, when we elected a total of 7 new Members in the entire year.

For me the highlight of the month was the peal weekend around Manchester. This was planned as a joint London and Manchester event but it turned out to include ringers from much further afield. We held a dinner on the Saturday night at which it was good to see many old friends and some new ones. Several of the new Members elected a couple of weeks earlier were there, together with senior Members including Tudor Edwards, who did not have to leave during the speeches on this occasion because there weren’t any. We were pleased that the Master was able to join us for the whole weekend and say a few words at the dinner. He was also able to carry out more research for his book "Hot Clubs in the 12 Bell Centres of England and Ireland" which he is hoping to publish after his year of office. Many thanks to Jeff Brannan, who organised the northern end, and my wife Gwen, who arranged the London contingent, for a splendid weekend.

This month, the 12 Bell Final at Surfleet. I hope to have some better news than last year in a month’s time.

Good ringing,

Phil Rogers

July 2003

No update for July 2003.

August 2003

Generally June and July were quiet months for the Society although I have been pretty busy. The arrangements for the Australia and New Zealand trip are nearing completion. In particular, the flights and accommodation are all now booked. The Master is busy finalising the ringing arrangements. Looking at the draft programme, we are going to have a full programme.

We are at last making progress in finding a Dinner venue for 2004. We are making a final visit to our chosen location next week and, assuming it goes well, we will book it.

One of the highlights of the year occurred last weekend when we were in Cambridge for the Country Meeting. A programme of peals was organised by the Senior Steward during the week before, Chris Kippin walked from London and 3 more Members walked from Newmarket. The day itself was a scorcher (although not as hot as those which have followed). We had a good time ringing in Cambridge and a wonderful dinner arranged by the Master at St John’s College. I have to admit that my memory of the later stages is a bit hazy and I felt decidedly under the weather on Sunday.

With the holiday season in full swing, the next month is likely to be a bit quiet. We might even manage the shortest Meeting ever on Tuesday.

Good Ringing,

Phil Rogers

September 2003

No update for September, 2003.

October 2003

No update for October, 2003.

November 2003

To begin with, of course, the Society paid a visit to New Zealand and Australia. This is the first time an official visit has been made, the first time the Master's Badge has been south of the Equator, and it is believed to be the first time a formal Tuesday night practice and business meeting has been held outside the British Isles. The touring party met and were made very welcome by many of the local ringers in the cities of Wellington, Christchurch, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth. Successful informal dinners were held in Sydney and Perth, and a large number of peals were achieved. The full report may be found elsewhere on this site.

While one group was in Sydney, College Youths all over the country were taking part in the Society Peal Weekend. Again it was another successful weekend with 20 out of 26 peals proving successful.

The 366th Anniversary Dinner took place in the Accountants' Hall. In addition to the speeches by the Master, the Secretary and the Junior Steward, there were speeches by Paul Mounsey, Ian Fielding and the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral, John Moses. Paul Mounsey led an extremely well rung touch of Phobos/Bristol/Phobos, and the occasion was deemed very enjoyable by all. Photographs of the occasion together with a report may be found elsewhere on this site. During the evening prior to the Dinner, the Society attempted peals on all the rings of 12 in the City, plus St Lawrence Jewry (available for a mid-week peal as the Rector pointed out "provided it only happened once every 125 years"!).

The November meeting saw possibly the largest Tuesday meeting attendance on record. The retiring Master summed up his year saying he was pleased that all his targets had been reached and that he was glad to see the Society happy and prosperous. Colin Newman was elected the new Master, laying out a plan for the year building on the previous year. The forthcoming events include a Country Meeting in York with a dinner at the National Railway Museum and a 6, 8, 10 and 12 bell striking competition against the Cumberlands. The Society will also be hosting the National 12 Bell Striking Competition in the year at St Mary le Bow. Simon Linford was elected Senior Steward and the meeting saw the first contested election for Junior Steward since 1984. There were 3 candidates: Jim Hardy, Stef Warboys and John Hearn. After some very good speeches (at least to the first two candidates), Stef was duly elected.

Good Ringing,

Dickon Love

December 2003

No update for December, 2003.