Langport and Huish locals leave their mark.
If you look around old buildings such as churches, memorials and monuments it's not unusual to find someone's name carved into the stonework from years gone by...and St Mary's Church at Huish Episcopi is no exception.
Bellringers and visitors to the tower roof are often fascinated by the names and dates in the lead up there. Some date back to the early 1800s.
One notable name, carved into the lead edging which faces in the direction of the Rose and Crown, is Eileen Scott. It's dated 1933 when she was just ten years-old. Eileen was Eli and Maud's daughter who later, of course, went on to become landlady of the family pub herself for several years.
Now more names have been discovered which are usually shrouded in darkness. They're inside the tower scratched or pencilled onto the walls of the spiral steps around the door to the belfry. (the second floor of the tower where the bells hang)
When you use the powerful glare of a mobile phone flash/torch, they all begin to show up.
Some of the names are dated 1903, others 1919. Then there are several in the 1920s, others in the 1950s and then a few from the 60s and 70s.
In the above picture they're still pretty hard to make out though. Here are some of the surnames we found.
Knapp, Slade, Salway, Suter, Derham, Crang, Gaylard, Bown, Male, Goddard & Russell.
It's like a Who's Who, I think lots of you are related to half of them...including yours truly.
Even more fascinating, one of the fading scratchings in the stone reads "The day the bell fell down 1910"
This confirms the old story that once upon a time the tenor [largest] bell fell off its anchor. It plummeted through the ceiling, down through the ringing chamber, through that floor and carried on until it crashed on to the flagstones inside the base of the tower.
Miraculously nobody was hurt and the bell barely suffered any damage and was later hauled back up and re-attached!
If you stand at the base of the inside of the tower or upstairs in the ringing chamber and look up - you can still make out where the woodwork had to be repaired and replaced.
What a Carry On.
Bellringing for beginners is Wednesday evenings at Huish Church from 7.30pm....it's not dangerous....really.
Anyhow - there's another bit of history for ya - normal service will be resumed shortly.
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Keep fit & stay local!
For more details contact: natasha@nvhealthandfitness.co.uk
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FIRST SATURDAY IN FEBRUARY
ALL SAINTS HALL - NORTH STREET - LANGPORT
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