Peal Weekend 2013

Dedicated to the memory of Roger Bailey.

This year’s UL peal weekend was held, as is customary, across the second weekend of February. Proceedings started on Friday evening at St Peter, Walworth. The plan had been to ring Superlative, but the UL aren’t very good at sticking to plans, so a peal of Cambridge Major was rung instead. Congratulations to Chris Rimmer on ringing his first Surprise. At the same time, a chilly peal of Kent Royal was scored on handbells in Hart Street ringing chamber. Friday night drinks were at the nearby Crutched Friar pub, where everyone was remarkably sensible. Everyone, that is, apart from our President, who was very much leading by example. No surprises, then, for guessing who turned up late the following morning…

On Saturday, a very respectable peal of Stedman Cinques was rung at St Magnus the Martyr, conducted by the current Master, Andrew Hills. This was duly posted on BellBoard, but it took a couple of hours for us to realise that it had been sent up as “rung in memory of society peal weekend.” This was speedily corrected, but it began to look as though it may have been prophetic, as both tower bell attempts on Saturday afternoon (one at St George-in-the-East, Stepney, and one at Cubitt Town on the Isle of Dogs) were lost, meaning we had to spend more time in the pub.

The Saturday evening social began in the Liberty Bounds at Tower Hill, before we headed south over London Bridge to the curry house. This was followed by further drinking at the Southwark Tavern but, disappointingly, nobody made it as far as the UL’s favourite karaoke bar!

Sunday afternoon saw the society’s first peal on the bells at St James, Garlickhythe. This was also ‘most spliced’ for three of our undergraduates. It is appropriate at this point to remind Rosemary Hill that catching the sally while ringing Glasgow is not optional…

A handbell peal of Kent TB Major on Monday brought peal weekend to a close, with a total of six peals scored (three on tower bells, three in hand). In addition to the peals, there was a quarter scored at St George in the East after the lost peal attempt, as well as the usual 2nd Sunday quarter peal at St Clement Danes. All in all, a successful weekend and thanks must go to Andrew Hills for his organisation.

There was, of course, one face missing this year – the absolute legend that was Roger Bailey. The UL will miss Roger tremendously; he was our longest-standing active member, serving in most of our committee positions at one time or another, and always willing to offer guidance and encouragement to younger members. He remains the society’s leading peal ringer by a very long way, and he has the dubious honour of being the only person to have a category named after them in UL Top Trumps! It is only appropriate that peal weekend 2013 is dedicated to his memory. The details follow:

University of London Society

Walworth, Greater London

St Peter

Friday, 8 February 2013 in 2 hrs 25 minutes (3-3-20)

5056 Cambridge Surprise Major

Comp. Johnson’s variation of Middleton’s

1. Ryan S Noble

2. Helen M Herriott

3. Jacqueline L Bale

4. Roxanne F Hughes

5. Benjamin J Meyer

6. Rebecca A Cullen

7. Christopher P G Rimmer

8. Andrew M Hills (C)

First for the Society: 3.

First Surprise inside: 7.


University of London Society

City of London, London EC3

St Olave’s Church, Hart Street

Friday, 8 February 2013 in 2 hrs 54 minutes (15C)

5200 Kent Treble Bob Royal

Comp. Al Gorithm

1-2 Nicholas W Jones

3-4 Katherine L Town

5-6 Michael J Trimm (C)

7-8 Oliver D Cross

9-10 Peter Blight


University of London Society

City of London, London Bridge, EC3

St Magnus the Martyr

Saturday, 9 February 2013 in 3 hrs 20 minutes (26-3-9)

5007 Stedman Cinques

Arr. A M Hills

1. Charles W G Herriott

2. Rosemary E Hill

3. Michael J Trimm

4. Heather M Forster

5. Ryan S Noble

6. Peter M Jasper

7. Nicholas J Hartley

8. Andrew M Hills (C)

9. Benjamin J Meyer

10. Dickon R Love

11. Katherine L Town

12. Rupert H J Littlewood

First of Stedman Cinques: 6.

First on twelve as conductor.


University of London Society

City of London, London EC3

St Olave’s Hart Street

Saturday, 9 February 2013 in 2 hrs 36 minutes (15C)

5152 Yorkshire Surprise Major

Comp. R Bee

1-2 Nicholas J Hartley

3-4 Katherine L Town

5-6 Michael J Trimm (C)

7-8 Peter Blight


University of London Society

Stepney, Greater London

St George in the East

Saturday, 9 February 2013 (6-0-9)

1344 Grandsire Triples

Comp. R Bailey

1. Clara P Jackson

2. Quentin S A Jackson (C)

3. Peter M Jasper

4. Thomas L Nagel

5. Charles W G Herriot

6. Sean D Langton

7. David S Phillips

8. Ben Barnes


University of London Society

Westminster, Greater London

St Clement Danes

Sunday, 10 February 2013 in 51 minutes (21-1-3)

1368 Grandsire Caters

Comp. R I Allton

1. Roxanne F Hughes

2. Andrew V Brown

3. Jacqueline L Bale

4. Clara P Jackson

5. Katie E M Lane

6. Nicholas J Hartley

7. Quentin S A Jackson (C)

8. Andrew M Hills

9. Rupert H J Littlewood

10. Ben Barnes

Rung following Choral Matins.

First on 10: 10.


University of London Society

City of London, London EC4

St James, Garlickhythe (the Royal Jubilee Bells)

Sunday, 10 February 2013 in 3 hrs 1 minute (9-1-25)

5184 Spliced Surprise Major

(10 methods: 768 Rutland; 608 Bristol; 576 Pudsey, Superlative; 480 Cambridge, Yorkshire; 448 Glasgow, Lincolnshire, London; 352 Belfast; 138 changes of method, all the work)

Comp. G A A Taylor

1. Michael J Trimm (C)

2. Katherine E Young

3. Heather M Forster

4. Ryan S Noble

5. Benjamin J Meyer

6. Rosemary E Hill

7. Andrew M Hills

8. Martin J Cansdale

Most Spliced: 4, 5 and 7.


University of London Society

Whitton, Middlesex

3 Kneller Road

Monday, 11 February 2013 in 2 hrs 32 minutes (13E)

5120 Kent Treble Bob Major

Comp. D F Morrison (no. 4059)

1-2 Lesley J Belcher

3-4 Ruth Blackwell

5-6 Michael J Trimm (C)

7-8 Christopher M Gould


By Heather Forster