Day Two of the Tour saw us visit the pretty seaside town of Brighton. For the first time, we had group polo shirts, and everybody wore theirs on the day; as well as a smart and uniform look, the array of colours made for some rather bright and effective photos!
The first tower was St Peter, Preston Park, a church in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust, and one of (if not the) oldest church in Brighton. The building was badly damaged by fire in 1906, although the fantastic medieval wall paintings survived. As part of the church repairs, the ring of 3 bells were cast and hung by Gillett & Johnston of Croydon that same year. We received a warm welcome from the Friends of St Peters, with coffee and croissants on offer, and in return entertained them with our ringing, some of which features here. The rounds from outside comes from our three youngest Tour members, aged 12, 13 and 13! The bells sound pretty and handle reasonably, considered how little they get rung. Thank you to the Friends for such warm hospitality!
https://www.stpetersprestonpark.co.uk...
Moving on, we were greeted with another fine Gillett & Johnston ring of bells, at St Nicholas in the town centre. Cast in 1922, they sound excellent, and handle nicely. Ringing featured here is Plain Hunt on 9 from inside and outside, as well as a raise with a difference! The group photo, showcasing our awesome rainbow polo shirts, was also taken here.
With the weather on our side, we were able to lunch on the beach, and what more appropriate than a chippy takeaway?! We had a few hours free to explore Brighton; some of the group went on the pier, whilst others played trains, on Volk’s Electric Railway, the oldest operating electric railway which took us on a ride along Brighton front.
Seasided out, we stepped out of Brighton to visit Aldrington, an old-fashioned Taylor six cast in 1878. Although a bit springy due to the long draught, they handled reasonably, and sounded good. The church is a fantastic building, one of my favourites from the Tour. Ringing here features the raise and some London Minor.
Finally, it was back to Preston, to visit The Good Shepherd – our only non ground floor ring of the day! The eight bells were cast by Mears & Stainbank of Whitechapel in 1927, and sound OK; however, the spectacular knocking from the brick tower is rather noticeable! I took the opportunity here to place a band and call some colour co-ordinated call-changes, most of which are captured here! Grandsire Triples from outside and the staircase (where the tower knock is most prominent) was also captured.
Back at Parkwood for the evening, we enjoyed a buffet tea before a few games of rounders! Stay tuned for Day 3 - where a mini ring and a striking competition feature! :-)
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