Guild Striking Competition & Crowe's Hall

This weekend saw the Suffolk Guild Striking contest at Thornham Magna and Gislingham. Pettistree entered teams for both of these contests...

Here's the church at Thornham...although we have won this in the past, this year the six bell contest was won by the Wollery, the mini ring at the end of David Salter's garden in Ipswich It was good to see his young band which included his two sons. But St Mary le Tower, who usually win were not so pleased...

Then the evening ringing for the eight bell contest was at Gislingham. Our tower is a six bell tower, but we put in a scratch band of eight, for the experience. This was won by another district, the Northeast. Again, not St Mary le Towers year.....

On Sunday, it was a more relaxed day, as we went to an afternoon fair at Crowe's Hall in Debenham. This was a small, fairly local affair, and had a much nicer atmosphere than the larger more commercial events.
Crowe's Hall is a moated Tudor estate....very picturesque....

There was a gymkhana going on, I think this was the various school teams including the one from Debenham High School. Suffolk is very big on horse riding and equestrianism (along with sailing and golf)

My favourite sight was the Hall's gardens where there were the Elizabethan recreationists....also morris dancing.....

I think this must be a pleasant way of spending a weekend...

The Suffolk Guild was there with the Vestey mini ring, in the guise of the Debenham ringers.....we helped out a bit by giving a demonstration of bellringing. These mini rings are there for the public to try, but they do not really handle or sound like the real thing...

Tracey giving a youngster a go on the rope...

Two of the Sufffolk Punches from the Hollesley Bay Colony Stud were there....these are huge gentle draught horses. They nearly became extinct and are still endangered. But they are a local breed with the founding horse being bred in Ufford near my home in Melton. Here the two girls are putting the braid in a mare's mane.

Having walked to the fair from Debenham, we walked back, with a nice view of Debenham church. I was pleased to see so many other locals on foot too...not everyone came by car! Plus, you were charged per vehicle, so you got in free if you walked.

A peasant afternoon.