BELL RINGING


The initial peal of six new bells was installed at St. Giles during 2012.

Two further bells were added during April 2021. The pre-existing fourth bell was removed and retuned. Read More

If anyone is interested in finding out more about bell ringing and/or would like to have a go they should contact Nick Wilkins on 01689 830844 nickwilkins36@gmail.com

Note: Minor means a method on six bells, Major means a method rung on eight bells and Triples means seven bells were interchanging with the tenor, bell number eight, ringing last throughout.

Quarter Peals - Summer 2025 

The school summer holidays allowed two of our young ringers, Olivia and Oscar, to achieve notable firsts as can be seen in the recently rung quarter peals. Congratulations to both!
 

Tuesday, 2 September 2025 in 45mins

(3–1–18 in D) 1440 Cambridge Surprise Minor Composed by Paul J Flavell

1 Nicholas Wilkins
2 Fraser A Storie
3 Anne M Anthony
4 Oscar Brooks-Wilkins
5 J Richard Anthony
6 Paul Flavell (Conductor) 

Probably first quarter with no plain leads for all

Tuesday, 2 September 2025 in 42mins

(3–1–18 in D) 1250 Yorkshire Surprise Major

1 Catherine M Lewis
2 Oscar Brooks-Wilkins
3 Lesley Barclay
4 Nicholas Wilkins (Conductor)
5 Paul Flavell
6 Jacqueline M Barlow
7 Steve Coaker
8 Fraser A Storie

First Yorkshire - 2.

Tunday, 31 August 2025 in 39mins

(3–1–18 in D) 1260 Plain Bob Minor

1 Nicholas Wilkins
2 Catherine M Lewis
3 Debra Say
4 Peter A Norwood
5 Angela Wilkins
6 Oscar Brooks-Wilkins (Conductor)

Birthday compliment today to Charlotte Wilkins, daughter in law of the treble ringer.

Friday, 15 August 2025 in 39mins

(3–1–18 in D) 1260 Plain Bob Double
 
1 Olivia Stanton
2 Graham Long
3 Oscar Brooks-Wilkins
4 Nicholas Wilkins (Conductor)
5 Angela Wilkins
6 Judith Bagshaw

Marking the 80th Anniversary of VJ Day. First away from tenor cover - 1.

Recent Peals and notable Quarter Peals rung at St. Giles

Peal rung Tuesday, 15 July 2025 in 2hrs 33 mins

(3–1–18 in D) 5056 Spliced Surprise Major (5methods) Contains 1344 Rutland; 1216 Cambridge; 1024 Superlative; 768 London; 704 Bristol; 111 com; all the work  Composed by Glenn A A Taylor and Anthony J Cox

1 Michael J Uphill
2 Nicholas Wilkins
3 Katie E Abraham
4 Jane L Kostelnyk
5 Isaac W Johnson
6 Peter J Joyce
7 Stephen A Coaker (Conductor)
8 Alan Regin

Rung in memory of Reginald ‘Reg’ Kenneth Still 1921-2025 on the day of his funeral, father of Liz Brown one of the local ringers. 

Peal Rung Sunday, 8 June 2025 in 2hrs 23 mins

(3–1–18 in D) 5044 Minor (4m)




  One extent each of Double Oxford and St Clement’s, two extents of Plain Bob and three extents of Cambridge S Minor

1 Peter A Norwood
2 George J Hart
3 Diane J Reynolds
4 Svetlana Sokolova
5 Oscar Brooks-Wilkins
6 Nicholas Wilkins (C)

Most methods and first peal of Minor - 5.

Quarter Peal and Peal rung to celebrate the 80th anniversary of VE Day

Sunday, 4 May 2025 in 38m (3–1–18 in D) 1260 Doubles (6m/p) 60 changes of Stedman and 240 changes each of Grandsire, Reverse Canterbury, St Simon’s, St Martin’s and Plain Bob.

1 Lesley Barclay
2 Philippa Rooke
3 Svetlana Sokolova
4 Peter A Norwood
5 Nicholas Wilkins (C)
6 Elizabeth Brown

Rung during the flower festival at St Giles marking the upcoming 80th Anniversary of VE Day.
Tuesday, 6 May 2025 in 2hrs 45mins (3–1–18 in D) 5088 Yorkshire Surprise Major.

1 Svetlana Sokolova
2 Ian H Oram
3 Nicholas Wilkins
4 Katie E Abraham
5 Paul J Flavell (Conductor)
6 Shirley E McGill
7 C Mark G Ockleton
8 Stephen J F Mitchell

Rung immediately prior to Rosemary Fordyce’s funeral and to mark the upcoming VE Day celebrations. With warmest wishes and an appropriate length to celebrate Ian's 88th birthday next Saturday!

Peal rung on Tuesday, 18 March 2025 in 2hrs 39 mins

(Tenor 3–1–18 in D) 5024 Bristol Surprise Major Composed by Mark Davies no2

1 Anne M Anthony
2 Peter J Joyce
3 Peter W Emery
4 Thomas F Lawrance
5 Stephen Coaker (Conductor)
6 Jacqueline M Barlow
7 Nicholas Wilkins
8 Alan Regin
 

Celebrating the life of Paul Rason, member of the Tuesday morning churchyard working party, whose funeral followed by burial took place at St Giles on Thursday 20th March.

Two Quarter Peals rung on Tuesday 18th February 2025

(3–1–18 in D) 1320 Cambridge Surprise Minor in 37 mins

1 Catherine M Lewis
2 Jacqueline M Barlow
3 Lesley Barclay
4 Steve Coaker
5 Oscar Brooks-Wilkins
6 Nicholas Wilkins (Conductor)

First Cambridge inside - 5.
(3–1–18 in D) 1250 Cambridge Surprise Major  in 41 mins

1 Oscar Brooks-Wilkins 
2 Catherine M Lewis
3 J Richard Anthony
4 Lesley Barclay
5 Jacqueline M Barlow
6 Steve Coaker (Conductor)
7 Anne M Anthony
8 Nicholas Wilkins

First treble bob on eight - 1.

Quarter Peal run on Tuesday, 11 February 2025 in 64 mins

 (3–1–18 in D) 2025 Stedman Triples



1 Anne M Anthony
2 J Richard Anthony
3 Nicholas Wilkins
4 Jacqueline M Barlow
5 E Lesley Barclay
6 Jane Kostelnyk
7 Fraser A Storie (Conductor)
8 Steve Newlands



CONTACTS


About St. Giles Ringers

The band of St. Giles ringers, all novices when we started in October 2011, practised under the guidance of experienced local ringers.

The Tower Community at St. Giles includes the following:

Tower Captain: Nick Wilkins
Deputy Tower Captain::Lesley Barclay Secretary: Nick Wilkins
Treasurer: Liz Brown
Steeple Keeper: Lesley Barclay

Ringers: Lesley Barclay, Oscar Brooks-Wilkins, Liz Brown, Julie Cox, Sam Cox, Emily Cunnane, Carol Fryer, Joadie Lovrencic. Alex Moore, Jacqui Moore, Megan Smith, Olivia Stanton, Helen Stockman, Nick Wilkins



Sunday service ringing 9.20-10.00am, practice alternate Mondays by arrangement and QPs/peals Tuesdays 11.00am by arrangement.

If anyone is interested in finding out more about bell ringing and/or would like to have a go they should contact Nick Wilkins on 01689 830844 nickwilkins36@gmail.com

See also Installing the St. Giles Bells.


Quarter Peal rung Tuesday 1st June 2021 in memory of Revd. Graham Shaw

This was the first quarter peal in the tower since augmentation to an octave, the new tenor being rung to a QP for the first time. However only six of the bells could be used, due to COVID restrictions governing the number of people allowed in a confine space.

This was rung in memory of Revd. Graham Shaw, 21.2.1944 - 21.4.2021, former Rector (1987-1995) and in the presence of Graham’s partner, Jorge Toro

Rung in in 40 minutes
(3–1–18 in D) 1260

Plain Bob Minor

1 Caroline A Stockmann
2 Jacqueline M Barlow
3 Michael J T Stuttard
4 Terence V Barnard
5 E Lesley Barclay
6 Nicholas Wilkins (C)

By way of explanation, the 1260 refers to the number of changes (different combinations rung on the bells) and Plain Bob Minor was the method (tune to the layman!). 3-1-18 is the weight of the new tenor bell in hundredweights, quarters and pounds and the new tenor note is D.

Caroline Stockmann of Sevenoaks, who rang bell number 1, kindly and generously contributed to the augmentation and her name, as well as her mother’s, is on the new tenor bell along with the names of other former parishioners. Caroline’s husband, Michael, who rang bell number 3 helped with the physical . augmentation works as did Lesley Barclay.



In fact, a number of current Parishioners listened to the ringing of the quarter peal and it was also the first quarter peal rung on the bells since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic.

We looked forward to the relaxation of restrictions so that eight people could mix indoors and we could then ring the newly augmented full octave.