Beedon Church 800th anniversary celebration a ringing success
Chimes are looking good for the ancient church of St Nicholas in Beedon as it hosts the first of a planned series of events to mark its 800th anniversary throughout the year.
The first celebration took place on Sunday when a team of bellringers commemorated an event which took place 100 years ago on April 2, 1923.
On that Easter Monday, a team of local men completed the first peal of Grandsire Doubles in the Beedon Tower.
The peal, conducted by Mr H Curtis, lasted two hours and 50 minutes and involved 5,040 changes.
On Sunday, ringers completed a quarter peal with a new method arranged especially for the occasion, called Beedon Doubles.
The peal, led by Ben Waller, took around 40 minutes to complete and involved 1,260 changes.
Other team members included Joanne A Waller, Michael Hurst, Mark Robins and Ken and Carol Waller.
This event was organised by Howard Turnnidge, custodian of the Beedon Tower. The main celebrations for Beedon '800' will commence in June.
The Grade I-listed St Nicholas' Church, built in 1220, lies on the outskirts of Beedon near the Berkshire Downs.