Judy Dale – Abbey Bells
Pershore Civic Society’s talks began again this week after the summer break. Sadly Deborah Overton, for health reasons, was unable to give her talk but has promised to do so next year.
We had an ‘in house’ illustrated talk about the Abbey bells – beginning with some history, then a dialogue between Judy Dale and Bill Newman who has been a bell ringer for over 60 years. We learned about how the brave bellringers climb up a spiral staircase in the tower to a high platform and manage to ring 8 bells despite the small area. Others present, including some bellringers, asked questions or remembered their experiences, and joined in the dialogue as we learned of the challenges that face the ringers, and how dedicated they are. They have been very busy in recent weeks, tolling and ringing muffled tributes to our late Queen Elizabeth and welcoming our new King Charles. We also saw slides of the Carillon mechanism and how it works, and the hope that it will be restored in the future, once bell-frame issues have been overcome. The talk ended with Bill reading some verses from a poem written in 1852: ‘A Voice from the Tower of Pershore Abbey – The Tenor Bell’.
The evening was a success with lively conversation and interest.
