A small but beautiful Grade 1- Listed parish church on the edge of Cambridge has this weekend produced a new set of bell-sounds to ring out across the Fen Edge. Over £70,00 needed to be raised to have two new bells cast, one to honour the King’s Coronation last year, one to celebrate the Landbeach Community itself. Its 500 year-old tenor bell, meanwhile, had a refit: the result is a perfectly-tuned peal of six bells which increases the sound-pattern range from 24 sequences to 720! Church and community felt honoured that Deputy Lords Lieutenant Edward Beckett, Baron Grimthorpe, and Christopher Walkinshaw, were able to attend the two commemorative events of the weekend, as well as David Way, High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire. Amongst other civic dignitaries attending was Professor Christopher Kelly, Master of Corpus Christi College in Cambridge; the college has had the patronage of All Saints’ Landbeach, since the 1350s, and a famous former Archbishop of Canterbury, Matthew Parker, was Rector there in Tudor times. Tower Captain Barbara Le Gallez feels that the Beach Bellringers of Landbeach and Waterbeach owe much to the enthusiasm of former generations in handing on the ‘Intangible Heritage’ [UNESCO term] of Method Ringing tower and hand-bells in mathematical sequences. The new team and bells welcome new ringers! Please contact Barbara on blegallez@yahoo.co.uk if you are interested. Acting Bishop of Ely, the Rt Revd Dr Dagmar Winter, ceremonially accepted the bell-ropes from Andrew Nicholson (whose foundry in Bridport was responsible for the new engineering). Bishop Dagmar then dedicated and blessed the bells as a symbol of open welcome to all who wish to join the life of church and community at Landbeach – and the new peri-urban developments beyond it. Like a flourishing grapevine, she hoped that sounds and service would branch out to the community. Unique and new sounds were heard within the church itself in a composition, ‘Landbeach Bells’ by Philip Mead: a chorale by the visiting St Augustine’s Singers cued an additional accompaniment by the newly-augmented peal of six bells, in harmony! The sound was relayed, with clarity, into the building by AVxpert’s special technology. The Coronation and Community bells were cast by the Eijsbouts Royal Foundry at Asten in the Netherlands, so made a double journey, firstly to Bridport, Dorset, for fine-tuning with the original Tenor bells which was at Nicholson Engineering for maintenance and a new headstock. Although this bell is dated at around 1520 it is possible that its origin may have been in Norfolk, two centuries earlier. Professional advice has been needed in order to install new ringing-mechanisms in the church tower: Volunteers willing to rig metal frames, thread ropes and shift half-tons of bronze have nevertheless been essential to the project. Whilst there is debate as to whether Bell-ringing is an Art, a Sport or a Technology, without doubt, everyone in Landbeach agrees that the bells old and new affirm community spirit and welcome! As evidence of that, the church itself provides a Warm Hub, Community Cupboard and Wednesday lunch-club as well space and time for quiet spiritual practice during the week. What isn’t certain is what the sometimes-resident bats think about all of this, or the swifts who tend to return to their designated nesting-boxes in the church tower. Up until now, the wildlife have always been welcome in church and churchyard – happily unaffected by the resonant bells which ring out again across the Fen Edge. Everyone hopes that the birds, like the bells, will continue to thrive for generations to come.
Several tons of bronze will resound with St Augustine’s Singers when they present a unique concert at the Parish Church of All Saints, Landbeach, on Saturday 27th April at the family-friendly time of 6pm. This will be a historic occasion for church, visiting choir and community as Philip Mead’s dedicated compositions enable bells old and new to link with St Augustine’s Singers to make previously-unheard harmony. Bells in the tower will sound out with the St Augustine’s Singers thanks to ingenious Technology by AVxpert, audio-visual suppliers who can manage the sound-relay from the bells in their smart, updated frames at the other end of the building. ‘Landbeach Bells’ and other music by renowned Cambridge composer Philip Mead has been specially-composed or adapted to make this possible. The St Augustine’s Singers will add ‘Innovative’ to their Classical reputation. Two new bells have joined the bell-tower at this 13th Century, Grade 1-Listed church. The ‘Beach Bellringers’; Friends of All Saints, Landbeach [FOALS]; generous individuals; and grant-making trusts such as The Cambridge Historic Churches Trust have pulled in over £70,000 to make possible one new bell dedicated in honour of the Landbeach Community, and another in honour of the Coronation of King Charles III last year. The names ‘Community’ and ‘Coronation’ are on the new bells, as well as the name of the Churchwardens and benefactors, following ancient tradition. All Saints’ church first bell, the ‘Tenor’ functioned first from around 1510-1523 in the time of Henry VIII, 5 centuries ago. More formally, on Sun 28th, there will be a religious Dedication of the new bells at a service of Morning Worship led by the Right Reverend Dr Dagmar Winter, Acting Bishop of Ely. Several significant Civic Dignitaries are expected to be present, as well as the St Augustine’s Singers who will give a second performance of ‘Landbeach Bells’ as well as hymns known to celebrate the Intangible Heritage of Bellringing. Distinguished Cambridge Organist Robert Stripe will perform two voluntaries which similarly celebrate bells as a call to worship: it is hoped that the hopeful reverberation of old bells will reach the new housing developments across Landbeach and Waterbeach for years to come.
At our Parish Church of All Saints, Landbeach, on Monday 18th March, two new bells arrive: a Treble bell to commemorate last year’s Coronation; and a Second bell in appreciation of the Landbeach Community. There is immense appreciation for the generous donations and energetic research and technology which have made this possible. All the other bells have had a ‘spring-clean’ and the Tenor bell has a restored headstock to keep it in the swing of things… Everyone across our villages is invited to a service at 7pm that evening so that the bells may be welcomed and blessed. You are also invited to bring a flower, if you wish, to place on the greenery around the bells [still on the floor] at this ceremony: maybe for celebration, maybe to commemorate someone or something. The Rev'd Brian Macdonald-Milne and Rev'd Chris Barter will be on hand for liturgy and welcome. The Beach Bellringers will be there to cheer – and explain more about this historic event in the history of church, community and campanology. On Saturday 27 April there will be a remarkable concert at 6pm at All Saints' when the bells will sing out with the visiting choir of St Augustine’s, Cambridge: the prestigious conductor, Philip Mead, has composed a music piece where Choir and Bells combine. All welcome. On Sunday, 28 April 10 am -11:15 there will be a Service of Dedication of the New Bells by our Acting Bishop of Ely, The Rt Rev'd Dr Dagmar Winter – and celebratory cake afterwards. Do come!
