Salisbury Cathedral

[john ketteringham]

I have received the following reply to my request for information about the
Ringers' Chapel at Salisbury. It would appear that there is not a chapel
as at Lincoln 'set aside for the use of the ringers' as recorded in the
Ordinances of 1612. I hope readers will understand that I was concerned
that my claim that my statement that the Chapel at Lincoln is unique was
incorrect.


Dear John,
Thank you for your interest in the "Ringers Chapel" at Salisbury Cathedral.
Following the Great War (1914 - 1918)it was felt that the Salisbury Diocesan
Guild of Ringers should have a permanent memorial to the fifty-eight members
who had lost their lives during this conflict. One popular idea was to erect
a stone memorial in the Cathedral Close on the site of the original
campanile which had been demolished by Wyatt in the 18th Century but it was
finally agreed that the Guild should contribute a screen which now shields
the Chapel of St. Michael in the south transept of the Cathedral.
T. Harvey Beams, the assistant secretary of the Guild at the time undertook
to raise the £200.00 for the project and lived just long enough to see it
completed. There is a model of the Guild badge on the screen which was
carved and gilded by a Bridport ringer and an inscription that reads "This
screen was given in memory of fifty-eight members of the Salisbury Diocesan
Guild of Ringers who fell in the war 1914 - 1918".
Although the Chapel is not for the exclusive use of bellringers it is used
by the Guild when we hold Committee Meetings at Salisbury for a short
service of prayer prior to our official meeting.
Unfortunately we do not meet as often as we used to within the city due to
the cost of rooms for meetings and the difficulty of vehicular access to the
city centre, we tend to meet at venues geographically central in our Guild
which have ample cheap or free parking and are cheaper to hire.
If you require any more information may I suggest that you contact either
our Guild Librarian, Tim Andrews or our Guild Public Relations Officer, Ivan
Andrews both of 11 White Close, Bradpole, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 3HL, Tel.
01308 425067
I trust that the above will be of some use to you and I thank you for your
enquiry,
Best wishes to you,
David W. Hacker
Guild President.