The
tower at All Saints', Yelvertoft houses a splendid ring of six bells. Five
of them were cast together in 1635 by Hugh Watts II of Leicester. As far
as we know they have never been out of the tower since then. In 1958/9,
during some major repairs to the top of the tower, the old wooden frame
was replaced with a steel one with six pits. At that time it was not possible
to raise the money for the sixth bell.
In 1987/8 the decision was taken to attempt an augmentation to six. With the help of Ayres and Smith of Melbourne a new treble was designed to fit well with the original five. The new bell was cast by Ejsbouts of Holland and hung in October 1989.
There is a regular local band of six ringers, four of whom live in the village. They ring the bells each Sunday for service, stopping ten minutes before the start of service to transform themselves into a major portion of the choir! In addition to this regular Sunday ringing, a tower practice is held each Friday evening from 7:30 to 9:00. This is often joined by a number of regular visitors from Crick, Lilbourne, Scaldwell and Welford, with frequent visitors from Spratton and Sibbertoft.
During the past two years we have been helping some beginners from Crick and have just been joined by three from Yelvertoft. The regular Sunday band are all very competent ringers, including some regular 'pealers', and ringing often includes a mixture of Surprise Minor methods.
We are always pleased to welcome visitors at our Friday practices. We often receive visits from boaters on the nearby Grand Union Canal, especially during the Summer. It may be worth contacting the Tower Captain, David westerman on 01788 822598 to make sure that the practice has not been cancelled for any reason.
For further information about bell ringing why not visit some other sites? Here are a few worth a try: Alan Chantler's Ringing Page , The Ringing World , Ringing Base Page
This page is maintained by Alan Chantler