Page 6 - Ickford Informer March 2022

The Bells of For over 300 years the bells have been ‘A multiplicity of bells
heard by Ickford residents. In earlier times
A changing cadence, rich and deep
Ickford Church Bells were the ‘soundtrack’ to their lives Swung from those pinnacles on high
calling them to work, to celebrate, to pray,
to raise arms and in times of crisis to come To fill the trees and flood the sky
together. Their purpose was secular and And rock the sailing clouds to sleep’
religious. The clear flowing rhythm of sounds
is a unique feature of the English landscape. Sir John Betjeman
Our three bells were made by three different foundries.

Bell 1 – is the treble bell and the oldest. It is the highest toned bell and the
lightest. It was made in 1599 possibly by George Appowell of Buckingham. It has
an inscription made of individual letters that do not form recognisable words and
therefore not currently understood.

T NICHOLAS CHURCH HAS THREE
SBELLS in its bell tower which are
hung to enable uniquely English full circle Bell 2 – was made in 1716 and is our youngest bell. It was made by George
change ringing. This means the bell can Chandler of Drayton Parslow. It bears the inscription ‘Chandler made me’. The
be held in an upright position for ringing Chandler family of three sons frequently quarrelled and court records show fines
a 360 degree rotation. There is also a for their ‘ding dongs’ (sorry) with their father.
fourth bell called the Sanctus bell (simply
rung by the priest) which can only be
tolled as is the custom in the rest of the
world. The distinctive saddleback bell
tower is the oldest part of the church built
in 1170 and raised to its present height Bell 3 – is the tenor bell (highest toned bell in A) cast by Ellis I Knight of Reading.
in 1350. It is thrilling that we are ringing The bell foundry works were in the centre of Wokingham, currently the Waitrose
bells made 300 - 400 years ago in 2022. site! The tenor weighs 8½ cwt (432 kgs) which is equivalent to the weight of
eight adult men. It is thought that this is one of Ellis I Knight’s earliest bells. The
Ickford, historically a humble working inscription reads ‘Let your hope be in the Lord’.
village, has just three bells but other
villages and towns have more bells
(Shabbington has six bells, Thame has
eight bells and Long Crendon, 10 bells).
Bells are expensive and a village church
with bells is one that found patrons to pay Next time you pass the church look up at the tower and picture our three bells
for a bell and an indication of the wealth hanging silently. Listen out for them ringing joyously for significant occasions like
of the village. the 2022 Queen’s Platinum jubilee celebrations. v

Rectory Homes update on the status The crates will hold additional surface
of the Turnfields planning application water before discharging into the local
network at a controlled rate. We have
surveyed the full extent of the highway
by George Bethell-Vickers, Rectory Homes drain network along Sheldon Road using
specialist CCTV equipment. This study
UE TO STAFF RESOURCING ISSUES We are aware of the concerns about flooding has revealed significant defects along the
DAT THE COUNCIL the application has and drainage in the village and have been length of the road.
suffered significant delay. working with the Council to create a robust
drainage strategy which includes significant We are proposing to replace approximately
Since the submission of our application onsite and offsite repair and replacement 100 meters of the pipe network along the
in February 2021, we have been engaging works of sections of the existing surface road, with de-silting part of the ditch where
with the planning officers in a positive and water drainage network. the outfall is located.
proactive manner.
Our original drainage strategy proposed Whilst we are awaiting final approval from
The application has been amended with an onsite attenuation basin. After the planning officer in respect of these minor
some minor changes in line with comments extensive drainage modelling, an changes, we are hopeful our application will
from officers and in the pursuit of providing improved solution has been proposed be determined in March.
a more robust drainage strategy and which replaces the attenuation basin with
adjustments to the landscaping scheme and additional water holding crates. The crates We anticipate starting the development in
minor tweaks to the original layout. work on the same principle as the basin. May/June 2022. v

ourickfordnewsletter@hotmail.com 6 March 2022