Chime In

Nether Heyford Church of St. Peter and St. Paul

Sometimes it's the little things that I find delightful about living in a different country.  One of my favorite things in the village of Nether Heyford is the parish of St. Peter and St. Paul.  This 13th century church is located just down the footpath from my house.

I am a huge fan of "The Vicar of Dibley", and I was hopeful that Dawn French would be in residence on Sundays.  I have yet to hear Rev. Ann Slater belt out "It Shoulda Been Me", but the year's not over yet!  And on at least one occasion they served sherry after the service.  A great tradition that I think should be adopted by my Stateside Congregation!  This is also the church that the children of Bliss Charity go to for their Harvest Festival, Christmas Pageant and Easter service.

Ropes for the bells hang down into the church

 And one of my favorite parts of this ancient church is the bell tower and the beautiful bell ringing that I can hear from my house.  The bell tower houses six bells, the first one being installed in the 1600's.  The bell ringers practice every Friday night, and I was fortunate enough to be invited to climb the bell tower one evening.

Steps going up the bell tower - notice the wear!

The stone steps up to the bells are extremely steep.  They are worn from the centuries of use and the passage is narrow.  I climbed up the two stories to a landing that held the clock works for the huge chiming clock on the outside of the building.  Then I had to climb a wooden ladder to get to the loft where the bells were hung.

The wheels that turn the bells so that they chime.

These bells are HUGE! 

 I could only imagine what it would be like to see these bells in action.  They actually turn upside down and then swing forward!

Window in the tower

View of the stairs going down

 As hesitant as I was to climb the stairs, I was even more scared to go down!  It was incredibly steep!  I must admit, I actually went down some of the steps sitting down!  I'm not sure I have the stamina to be the person who winds the clock every day.

The record of the bell installations

The bell ringing crew in action

 Ian, the bell captain, was kind enough to give me a bell ringing lesson.  The ropes are high, I actually had to stand on a wooden box to reach the rope!

 I'm listening intently because I don't want to get hit with the rope, or taken up into the rafters!

 Abbie tries her bell ringing skills

View from the front of the church 

We had a wonderful evening climbing the tower, seeing the bells and trying our hand at ringing them.  It gave me a deeper appreciation for the beautiful music I often hear on Friday nights and Sunday mornings.