ATolledTale A Tolled Tale: Saturday 21st June 10am Poetry Reading and Bell Ringing in Sound and Sculpture.

Enjoy a Tolled Tale with poet Catherine Swire performing poems about bells and weaving. Joined by Leominster Priory Bellringers, and artist Jackie Morris. FREE

Catherine Swire has kept chickens in woodland on the side of the Malvern Hills for nearly two decades. She teaches young adults in Worcester and leads poetry workshops from Kent to the Highlands. Her poetry collection Soil explored how trauma is translated by landscape. In her recent memoir Flame, Ash, Feather: A Dozen eggs from Lockerbie she explains how in the behaviour of her chickens she has found a model for human relationships and a way of processing grief and loss. Her poetry has been featured on BBC Radio 4’s Ramblings with Clare Balding, and at Ledbury Poetry Festival. 

Leominster Priory has a historic ring of ten bells. The largest were cast in 1755 by Evans of Chepstow, with a further two light bells by Warners of London added in 1894. The bells are suspended in an oak frame and are rung in different combinations to call people to worship on Sunday mornings and for Evensong. Church bells are also used to mark notable occasions such as Remembrance Day, weddings and funerals. Ringing is a team activity with one person to each bell. Leominster Priory Bellringers practise on Thursday evenings and are keen to pass on the art through a hands-on approach; anyone can learn to ring provided they are fit enough to climb the near 90 steps to the ringing room and physically strong enough to control the bell rope.

The event is organised by local artist Jackie Morris who will be showing the second iteration of her bell ringing inspired sculpture ‘Stedman Doubles’ originally installed in the Priory’s Norman Nave in 2017. This was last exhibited in Grayson Perry’s RA Summer Show 2018.