© 2025 Buckland Newton Community Website Committee Last updated 15th April 2025 13:30 Website design and update by Jeremy Collins
Bellringers
The Buckland Newton Bellringing
Team (together with those at
Mappowder) are affiliated to the
Salisbury Diocesan Guild of Ringers.
We welcome new recruits to the
Bellringing Team - please contact the
Tower Captain, Nick Baker on 01300
345386.
Restoration of the Church Bells
Restoration of the bells and mechanisms, which has taken in total
some six years, is now complete; they are back in situ, ringing and
sound truly amazing.
Looking on from the side lines, the restoration of the Buckland Newton
church bells has taken hours and hours of mental and physical effort in
some shape or form. After endless paperwork, submissions and
discussions — and finally permissions, the bells were taken down from the
church tower in January 2012, handed over to the bell hangers (Nicholson
Engineering) in Bridport, retuned, refurbished and finally returned to the
bell ringing chamber for everyone to enjoy.
There were of course the unexpected hiccups on the way, like the extra
requirement for a sound proofed ceiling and essential welding of the third
bell in Newmarket, so that it did not break in use. All the problems were
overcome, thanks to the willing and hardworking team who wanted to
ensure that the project would succeed to benefit the village with a
harmonious new sound. This now means that the bells will be up to scratch
and available for use by our local and visiting ringing teams until the next
major overhaul in 2100!
Buckland Newton Bellringers' Striking Success
On Saturday 13th April the Buckland Newton Bellringers hosted the
Salisbury Diocesan Guild of Ringers (SDGR), Dorchester Branch annual
striking competition. Teams of six took it in turn to ring for approximately
five minutes and were judged on the quality of their performance by Pat
Davidson the SDGR President.
The sun was shining, and everybody was able to mingle in the churchyard
whilst listening to each of the performances. The experience of the bands
varied from novices entering their first ever competition to people who have
been ringing for more than 50 years!
The afternoon concluded with a traditional 'ringers tea' in the Village Hall,
expertly produced by Pam Marshall and helpers. The results of the
competition were announced and in first place Buckland Newton, narrowly
beating last year’s winners, Wyke Regis, (we might have had a bit of a
home advantage!) It was a great afternoon, and we look forward to
defending our title next year.
The winning team with the trophy. Andy Waring, Emma Grayson, Nick
Baker, Jane Willis, David Marshall and David Brooks (not pictured)
Nick Baker, the Tower Captain. Nick has been ringing for 20 years, since
he was 11. Bridget, his mother, introduced him to the team and he has
enjoyed bell ringing ever since. He is currently Assistant Ringing Master of
the Dorset County Association of Bellringers, a committee member of
Bradpole Ringing Centre and Steeple Keeper of Sherborne Abbey.
Bradpole is one of the centres specialising in teaching, including the use of
a simulator, to introduce new ringers and improve the standards of teams
across the county. Nick is one of a very select group of experienced
ringers in Dorset who practice the 'surprise' methods of change ringing, the
most advanced. If you didn't know it is "a treble bob method in which an
internal place is made every time the treble is going from one dodge to
another." Nick rings generally between 4 and 6 days every week. He
thoroughly enjoys the very sociable company and says the friends he
makes is what it is all about. He is also very keen on training and helping
new team members. He never has been a churchgoer and cheerfully
admits he would be just as happy if the bell tower was in the middle of a
field!
Practices are held on Wednesdays at Buckland Newton church, except for
the first Wednesday of the month at Mappowder. If you have been a bell
ringer and are interested in joining us or would like to learn, please give
Nick a ring on 01300 345386 to arrange to join us on a Wednesday
evening. You would be very welcome.
Buckland Newton Community Website
in the heart of rural Dorset