A very well-written script. Previous reviewers seem surprised that there is a competitive element to bell-ringing (though often the "competition" is with the past, as witness the plaques on the wall of the ringing chambers), and indeed that not all those who ring are members of the host church congregation.
As a former churchwarden it may be helpful to explain that many pearl of bells are of 8 or 10 bells. There would be very few churches who could muster a sufficiency of ringers from their own congregation, so it is quite normal to offer membership of the tower to bell-ringers from other parishes and to those who are not regular church-goers. There are of course some, such as the Chairman of the Parochial Church Council (not incidentally a deacon), Reggie, who would rather have no bells at all, but they are a in a minority.
The one thing that does not ring true is the idea that the bells could be sold simply by asking the bishop to agree. As a matter of church law, the sale of church bells and almost everything else in a church requires an order, called a faculty, from a church court. These are not lightly granted and in a case such as this the likelihood that the court would allow the sale of the bells is negligible. Reggie would probably have known this, but the others might not.
Many church clocks show the same time constantly. They are complex and expensive. There are very few clock-makers in England who are able to service the turret clocks in all the churches, town halls etc throughout the country, so delay is inevitable. They are also expensive to maintain, and the expense is not likely to sit high on the church's priority list if the roof is leaking. It used to be the custom to set the hands manually to 12 noon if the clock was not working, but that is seldom done these days.
Finally I was advised that if I was going into the church on a weekday to do something in the vestry, or somewhere else out of sight of the door, to lock the door behind me. At one time parish churches were commonly left open all day and all night. It is however a sad fact of our current times that if you do you soon find all the candlesticks missing, so the church insurers insist on keeping the church locked except during the times of services unless there is someone stationed in the church to watch the door.
A very good and accurate episode.
As a former churchwarden it may be helpful to explain that many pearl of bells are of 8 or 10 bells. There would be very few churches who could muster a sufficiency of ringers from their own congregation, so it is quite normal to offer membership of the tower to bell-ringers from other parishes and to those who are not regular church-goers. There are of course some, such as the Chairman of the Parochial Church Council (not incidentally a deacon), Reggie, who would rather have no bells at all, but they are a in a minority.
The one thing that does not ring true is the idea that the bells could be sold simply by asking the bishop to agree. As a matter of church law, the sale of church bells and almost everything else in a church requires an order, called a faculty, from a church court. These are not lightly granted and in a case such as this the likelihood that the court would allow the sale of the bells is negligible. Reggie would probably have known this, but the others might not.
Many church clocks show the same time constantly. They are complex and expensive. There are very few clock-makers in England who are able to service the turret clocks in all the churches, town halls etc throughout the country, so delay is inevitable. They are also expensive to maintain, and the expense is not likely to sit high on the church's priority list if the roof is leaking. It used to be the custom to set the hands manually to 12 noon if the clock was not working, but that is seldom done these days.
Finally I was advised that if I was going into the church on a weekday to do something in the vestry, or somewhere else out of sight of the door, to lock the door behind me. At one time parish churches were commonly left open all day and all night. It is however a sad fact of our current times that if you do you soon find all the candlesticks missing, so the church insurers insist on keeping the church locked except during the times of services unless there is someone stationed in the church to watch the door.
A very good and accurate episode.