The Bell Ringers

Stoke Gabriel Bell Ringers

Information about the bells and bell ringing at St Mary and St Gabriel Church, Church Walk, Stoke Gabriel, Totnes, TQ9 6SD.

The church has 6 bells of which the tenor is 17cwt.

Practice night: Thursday 7:00 – 8.15pm

Service ringing: Every Sunday 10:00 – 11:00am and

Evensong on the 4th Sunday 5:30 – 6:30pm.(check beforehand)

The church has a website at: www.stokegabrielchurch.co.uk. For information on the bell ringing go to the tab “Our Community & Safeguarding” and from drop down menu click on “Bellringers”.

Visitors to the ringing chamber are welcome and they can contact, the Captain, Michael Webster on 01803, which is the area code, and then the local number of 782591, or by email using the Captain’s initial of his first name, then T and then his surname, followed by at (use the symbol for at) then add btinternet.com. Hopefully expressing the contact details this way reduces the chances of receiving spam!

The tower has an active call change group of ringers of mixed abilities. The team participate in numerous call change competitions at both deanery and county level. In June 2012, the team were the “County Champions” by winning the annual Devon Association (www.devonbells.co.uk) Major Final call change competition held that year at Down St Mary.

For visiting ringers and visitors, the church building is not prominent from the main road, however Church Walk leads to the church. This path is outside the Church House Inn and opposite the Village Shop and Post Office (Stoke Gabriel Stores). The ideal post code to follow is TQ9 6SD. There are toilet facilities in the church and the public toilets about 50m walk along Paignton Road. Access by coach should be checked beforehand as there are windy narrow roads and high stone walls that are characteristic of Stoke Gabriel. On-street restricted parking is available and nearby there is a small car park where a token or payment is required to exit the car park.

Information about the bells of St Mary and St Gabriel, Stoke Gabriel. The Bells, six in number, bear the following inscriptions:

Recast by John Warner and Sons, London, 1889. Studdy, Esq., Watton, MDCCCXLV. When I call, follow me all. Hambling, Founder, Blackawton.
Churchward, R. P. Hulme, Wardens,MDCCCXLV. Hambling, Founder, Blackawton. Recast by John Warner and Sons, London, 1889.J. H. N. Nevill, Vicar. John Peeke, George Churchward, Wardens.
Mears and Stainbanks, Founders, London. Given by F. Churchward, Esq.J. H. N. Nevill, Vicar. J. E. Tope, J. P. Baker, Churchwardens, February,1906.
LEWIS * FVLL * GENT * MATTHEW * CHURCHWARD * CHURCHWARDENS * 1648.
NICHOLAS * BOMAN * JEFFERY * FVLL WARDENS. 1674
J. C. Jackson, Mr. Matthew Churchward, Wardens. W. Pannell, Founder, 1821. I to the Church the living call and to the Grave do summon all.

Useful links.

For church and service information –

http://www.achurchnearyou.com/stoke-gabriel-st-gabriel/

Guide for church bell ringing – http://dove.cccbr.org.uk/dove.php?searchString=stoke+Gabriel&Submit=+Go+

The church is a Grade I listed building, for more information and grid references – http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-100666-church-of-st-gabriel-and-st-mary-stoke-g

Bell ringing in Devon. Devon Association – call change ringing

http://www.devonbells.co.uk/

Guild of Devonshire Ringers – method ringing

http://devonringers.org.uk/gdr/

Ringing related sites. Explanation of ringing with a picture of ringers at Stoke Gabriel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Change_ringing

Central Council of Church bell ringers: cccbr.org.uk/

Change ringing resources: http://www.ringing.info/

Weekly journal for church bell ringers:

http://www.ringingworld.co.uk/

Online encyclopedia for bell ringers:

http://wiki.changeringing.co.uk/Main_Page

Discover Bell Ringing see: www.bellringing.org

We welcome all to come and watch our bell ringers in action, or to join in if you are a bell ringer, or if not, enquiring about learning to ring church bells. Last updated. May 2024.