Stephen Ivin

April 15, 2016 7:18 pm | by admin | Posted in Tributes

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Chris Pickford

This appreciation was read at Stephen’s Memorial Service held at St Thomas the Martyr Oxford, on 22nd February 2010

Stephen Ivin was, without any doubt, one of my ringing heroes – for his ability, for his leadership, for his many achievements, for his astounding contribution to the Exercise, for the example he set us, and for the pleasure and entertainment of his company and conversation.
I therefore feel very honoured to have been invited to say a few words today on behalf of the . I’ve been asked to talk about his Bedford years – or perhaps to reflect on them with the benefit of hindsight, since my time there overlapped with his by only two years.
In fact, I missed the “golden age” of Bedford ringing in the mid-1970s – but arrived there in 1978 at an interesting time, the band still very strong and about to take on the challenge of moving up from ten bells to twelve.

Steve was then:

I hadn’t rung at Bedford before taking up a new job there. I had met Steve only once – in a pub after listening to the end of a peal at Birmingham Cathedral in February 1977 (for the 50th anniversary of Ralph Edwards’s first peal)
But I knew of his reputation – of his ability, of course, but also of his temperament and behaviour in the belfry.

Story of Chris Hughes who moved to a village in the south of the county. He tried various places for ringing without finding much to his liking. One of the places he went to was Luton where he enquired about what happened at Bedford. “Oh you don’t want to go there, they shout at people”.
Chris thought that this sounded promising and that Bedford might be the place for him. He came to St. Paul’s the following Sunday and “never looked back” – making a 40 mile round trip twice each Sunday to ring.
Chris quickly realised what it meant – a tower with strong leadership, a place where ringing was taken seriously as a performance art, and where the expectations of the band were clearly understood. Steve had no patience for the “have a go” brigade – or for sally ticklers!
Steve had built what was undoubtedly one of the best Sunday Service bands of its time, – ringing at a level unknown at the time elsewhere, with London, Bristol and even Clyde Royal on the menu.

Indeed, the Sunday ringing – and not so much the peal ringing – was always the primary objective. An hour of good ringing for both services was invariably the norm. Steve would put himself out a great deal to be there – returning from work in Oxford or coming straight back from the afternoon shift at St. Paul’s Cathedral to be back for evening ringing – and he expected regular and punctual attendance from others too.
The key thing to Steve was always the accuracy of striking – always in preference to being over-ambitious in terms of the method repertoire (which did, nevertheless, become both advanced and extensive)

Band placing – there was no “catch hold” at Bedford! – was part of the successful strategy. For some, it meant usually ringing the same bell – many of us still refer to Malcolm’s bell (the 6th), George’s bell (the 8th) and Bob’s bell (the 9th). Only a few were “licensed” to ring anywhere in the circle

Those who were part of it certainly appreciated that they were involved in something special, something out of the ordinary and something very much of Steve’s making. As Anthony Smith put it, “He succeeded in moulding a disparate group of ringers into a first class band, knowing how to get the best out of each of us”.
It was a period of what I described in a Ringing World article in 1982 as “strong if sometimes stormy leadership”.

But the success Steve enjoyed at Bedford owed a great deal to his patient encouragement, careful coaching and personal support for individuals – and by no means just from the shouting and castigation for which he became rather far famed.
He had a natural talent for spotting ability and bringing people on.  He fostered a generation of youngsters – the likes of Steve Stanford, Jeremy Piron, Ian Harris and Mark Regan – but also provided opportunities for his seniors – people like Alf Rushton, Ron Sharp, Arthur Gibbs, Bob Piron and Bryan Sims – to perform beyond the limits of their own horizons.
Woe betide those whose ringing fell short of the required standards of concentration, effort or striking.

Story of a Monday night peal when a bit of a fire-up started. Just as Steve was starting to sort it out, one ringer misguidedly caught the sally with one hand – only the once, but it was noticed.
Never mind the fire-up. Steve let him have it – both barrels “you can’t ring properly with two hands …”, “no time to muck about when others are going wrong” – before calmly putting us all right.

This was pretty fearful for those on the receiving end – although amusing (if cautionary too) for the rest of the band.
But although the fuse was short – the explosion often strong – the recovery time was quick too. Laughter often followed, even after the famous “clock” incident when – according to the primary culprit who like to tell the story against himself – Steve returned to the ringing room after cooling down a little, and joked “I suppose I’ll have to buy a new one”.
The pendulum, incidentally, still hangs on a nail in the ringing room.

But whatever the element of discomfort about these stories, Steve made ringing fun, inspired all to give of their best and engendered true comradeship among ringers

Outside the belfry, Steve was more than welcoming and I shall always be grateful for the friendship and support that I received from him in my early days in Bedford.
After I moved to a house round the corner from their home in Bushmead Avenue, Steve and Avril often invited me round for a meal on Sunday evening – always excellent hospitality and good company.
When I needed help moving heavy furniture, it was Steve who came to my aid. And until very recently the old lawnmower he gave me did service in the Pickford household – right up until the time we left Sevenoaks and no longer had a lawn to mow.
But to return to the belfry, Bob Piron often recounted that Evelyn Steele – a member of the band that rang the first all Ladies peal at Cubitt Town in 1912 and by the 1950s the rather fearsome president of the Bedfordshire Association – used to say of Stephen “It’s such a pity – he could do so much good”.
The implication was, of course, that this young upstart and firebrand had contributed little.

It was when Steve and Avril left Bedford for Leafield in 1980 that the extent of his contribution to Bedford and Bedfordshire ringing became clear. Their departure created a huge hole, of course.
Indeed the local band at Bedford decided – very wisely in hindsight – that instead of having a single successor, the work that Steve had done should be shared by three people. For all of us it was a daunting challenge all the same.
The result, was that for well over a decade Steve’s legacy lived on and Bedford ringing continued to flourish – not only with local peals of Bristol Maximus and methods like Cantuar and Newgate, but also in terms of striking with Bedford fielding a largely Sunday service band and reaching 3rd place is the 12 bell competition.

Steve had taken over as captain in 1961 and led the band for 19 years. The rehanging of the bells in 1966 was achieved as a result of his efforts, as was the installation of effective sound control soon afterwards.
Eddie Jeffries used to say that the bells were so loud that “you could hear them in Luton”.
“Bells will be quieter” was the headline to a photo of Steve among the bells after the completion of the work in 1967. The sub-text – not published, of course – was that they would also be rung more, a very great deal more!
They were – and the fact that over 200 peals were rung during the next 12 years speaks volumes for Steve’s enthusiasm, commitment and ability at that time.

It was during this time, too, that Steve reached the personal milestone of his 1000th peal in August 1978. It was to have been at Bedford, of course – but there was a mishap which gave rise to an example of Steve’s readiness to laugh at himself. The treble clapper fell out – and there was only one person to blame! The replay took place at Meldreth the following week.

Augmentation to 12 also came about through Steve’s determination, personal generosity and not a little ingenuity.
The two trebles of the ten were hung in a girder framework above the rest. Steve eventually managed to get professional assurances that it would be structurally okay to hang two more bells up among the girders – but then the problem of getting the ropes to fall in the right places still posed a challenge.
The new bells arrived in Bedford just after I did in January 1978 and Whites installed them, leaving Steve to sort out the roping.
Even after the bells were hung “will they work?” was a question that remained in peoples’ minds even if they weren’t rash enough to voice it.
Few realise that the direct fall of the ropes is awkward. Both are heavily drawn – yet the Ivin solution works well.

In this short tribute, I have tried to say something of Steve’s contribution to ringing in the middle period of his life when he was at his most enthusiastic and on top form as a performer.
I began by saying that Steve was one of my ringing heroes – and I’ll end by repeating it.

Perhaps the best tribute to Steve from his Bedford days is the affection and respect with which he is still held by members of the old band.
Now dispersed to other parts of the country, there is still a strong sense of belonging to Steve’s band – and good ringing, laughter, and camaraderie when we get together. Thirty years on, and that’s some legacy!

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Martin Major

I can’t really remember the first time I met Steve but I believe it was at a Biggleswade District meeting when he arrived in the company of Avril, Keith Fleming, Michael Orme and others and they comprised a band who rang an excellent touch of 8-Spliced with Steve conducting. It was fast and like clockwork and I remember everyone sat in total silence in wonder. Little did I realise that later I would have the privilege to ring with him.

So it was with great sadness that I heard of the death of Stephen Ivin on Friday 8th January. He was a friend and was the person who gave me the chance to gain and experience the ringing of more complex methods as he was to many other young up and coming ringers in Bedfordshire. I rang my first peal with him in 1964, 12-spliced at Clifton, in the company of such eminent ringers as C. Edward Jeffries, Peter Border, Alf Rushton, our president at the time, and Frank Rivett. Stephen was much respected in county ringing circles and as anyone in the ringing exercise knows was a modern pioneer in the art of composition, having composed the famous 5024 of Bristol Surprise Major, still the most rung composition in the method and endless peals of London Surprise Major (his favourite method) and many many other compositions from one part peals of Grandsire Triples to Maximus. His contribution to the exercise is widespread to say the least.

Yes, I would say Stephen was a legend, verging on the genius. A man who could compose anything at will, from the most complex to the ordinary in any given method. His expertise in campanology is found in ringing, conducting, composing, rope splicing, sound control, rehanging, tuning, he was a man who could turn his hand to anything, he was a perfectionist, spending hours and hours of his time to get the sound of the bells just right to the ear in any given tower. His contribution to Bedfordshire ringing is immense. He turned St. Paul’s, Bedford during the late 1960s and 70s, into a tower which was one of the best in the country. Here you could ring London Royal and Bristol Royal on practice nights with a local band and it became the hub of Bedfordshire ringing. As well as peals in the those methods Stephen also called peals of York, Bushmead, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, London No. 1, and Clyde Surprise Royal as well as others, all first peals in the method for the Association. Obviously there were some stumbling blocks along the way, especially the famous “clock” incident after a fruitless attempt for Bristol Royal, when later we all turned up to ring, only to find the clock in pieces in the cupboard! No doubt those ringing will give a more detailed account of this.

It was during the late 1970s that his drive and enthusiasm turned St. Paul’s into 12 spending endless hours planning and working a covenant scheme to get his idea put into place including the chutes and sound control box for the trebles which made them easily audible and the external sound control. Most of the cost for this coming from is own pocket. His master plan worked and it was not long before we scored the first peal of Grandsire Cinques on them in March 1978 with a local band. This was small fry and Cambridge Maximus and Bristol Maximus were rung in the county before the year was out. His enthusiasm had prepared most of us with trips to Birmingham to ring the first peals of Cambridge and Yorkshire Maximus for the Association prior to these attempts. His drive soon had Bristol Maximus on the menu regularly on practice nights and it was a sight to behold when he was in full flow directing and correcting each ringer as the course progressed. Sometimes it would be hair-raising to say the least. Yes, It would be fair to say that Stephen had a great impact on the ringing achievements of many Bedfordshire ringers and I would also say that there are many many towers in Bedfordshire where Stephen’s ringing knowledge and practice of bell-hanging have been used. At my home tower, Henlow, he was of invaluable help and as Philip Jewell has said many times, “If it wasn’t for Stephen we wouldn’t have had an eight at all.” I am sure that this has been the case many times.

I was privileged to arrange a peal week in Leicestershire during 1973 and we rang 10 peals of London, two a day from Monday to Friday and Stephen conducted all of them with different compositions. I believe he followed this up the following week ringing 12 peals up in Birmingham. I cherish the tankard which was presented to me at the end of the week for making all the arrangements I had made.

I remember one evening after a peal attempt we went to the “Knife and Cleaver” at Houghton Conquest and we had had a few pints and Steve looked at me and said: “I like your tie!” I was quite taken aback at this. I thought “really?”. “Yes”. I immediately took it off and gave it to him. He was thrilled. It’s the small things that really make you appreciate a friend. I also remember during 1972 when I was about to get married and he offered us the chance to live in a house in Houghton Conquest and to this day no-one knew. As it happened we didn’t take Stephen and Avril up on their offer but it was of great reassurance to know we would have somewhere to live at the time. With Stephen ringing we were never short of humorous moments, especially comments made and these will remain with us forever. I remember ringing in a peal attempt at Husborne Crawley with Steve conducting and Jeremy Piron on the treble. The bell set at hand with Jeremy dangling on the sally unable to pull it off. The next week we went back again and Steve had fixed a prayer book to the slider so it didn’t set so deep! So many more tales to tell!

All I can say is that I was honoured to be asked to ring is Stephen’s 1,000th peal, London Surprise Major, at Meldreth, on 25th August 1978.

Although I did not really see much of Steve during his time in Oxford I did ring peals with him at St. Thomas’ and St. Mary Magdalen and what a epitaph those two 10s are to him. Magnificent Steve.

Words cannot really express how we all felt when Stephen was diagnosed with cancer and none of us will ever know the depths of despair that he has suffered in the last couple of years along with Avril to whom we all send our love and best wishes.

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Anthony Smith

The following is a transcript of the appreciation I gave at the ASCY meeting on Tuesday 12th January 2010.

I have known Stephen Ivin since the earliest days of my ringing career, when he provided me (along with many others) with opportunities for advancement and peal ringing that I would not otherwise have had. I was privileged to be a member of the Bedford band during the 60’s and 70’s, a time when Stephen moulded a disparate group of ringers into a first class band. He knew how to get the best out of each of us, a stern rebuke here and gentle encouragement there.

He had a wide vocabulary and could be relied on to find an apt comment for any occasion. Once when we were first struggling with London Royal two young girls from the local college came to the practice, just before starting for the London Steve turned to them and said “If you are at all susceptible to bad language I suggest you go onto the roof for the next 15 mins. They remained seated.

He was also the driving force behind much belfry maintenance throughout Bedfordshire and it was for this as well as his ringing abilities that he was made an Honorary Life Member of the Bedfordshire Association.

It is not only for ringing that I am grateful to Steve, he also introduced me to classical music, wine and an appreciation of good beer. I have lost a mentor and friend and shall always remember him with his trademark white shirt and his pipe.

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John Loveless

I first met Stephen in 1974 at St Margaret’s Leicester. It was a hot day and he rang the tenor to a mediocre peal of Newgate Maximus. We underperformed as a band and there were too many mistakes. He was not happy, this was made clear during the peal!

For 25 years or so our paths seldom crossed and we were never resident in Bedfordshire at the same time. It was only in the last ten years I came to know him reasonably well, mainly due to occasional visits for peals at the two Oxford light 10’s, St Thomas and St Mary Magdalen, installations he masterminded and surely his great legacy.

He rapidly became interested in our endeavours here when we launched Campton Bells Appeal in 2004, not only contributing to one of the ‘Bedfordshire Ringers’ bells but offering to help with checking castings and tuning analysis. His tuning analysis meant that I knew we had ‘a lively little eight’ fully nine months before the bells were installed, very reassuring! It will always be a matter of regret that although he heard a recording of the bells he never rang on them.

Stephen learnt to ring in the Biggleswade District, at Houghton Conquest, in the late 1940’s, just one of a ‘golden’ post-war generation in the UK. C Edward Jeffries, an early influence and himself one of the finest ringers of his time, called Stephen’s first peal in 1949.

He rapidly became a fine ringer and although many of his 1500+ peals were rung at the heavier end he was at ease anywhere in the circle. I particularly remember a peal of Cambridge Maximus at St Mary-le-Tower, Ipswich, in August 1988, to which he rang the 35cwt tenor. This stands out as probably the finest display of heavy bell ringing I’ve ever witnessed, produced by a true artist and craftsman at work. No one could have bettered his performance that day.

Stephen dabbled in composition at an early age and developed this interest whilst at Oxford University, where he read Classics, in the late 50’s/early 60’s. By the mid 1950’s he had composed an easy to call three-part peal of Bristol Surprise Major, first rung at Felmersham on September 29 1956. This famous masterpiece in composition has been rung many hundreds of times and is still rung regularly today.

But it is for his ground breaking work with London Surprise Major that he will be best remembered. Not only were the compositions he produced innovative at the time. Perhaps more importantly, they have stood the test of time – over 30% of the 5200 or so peals of London rung since 1956 were composed by him. Fittingly, a book containing his 48 compositions of London Major, with some fascinating background notes from him, was published in late 2009.

In 2004 Stephen equalled William Pye’s record of 226 peals of London Surpise Major as conductor. Appropriately this was achieved in the tower where Bill Pye called his 226th peal (also his last peal as conductor), St Stephen in Brannell, Cornwall. I was privileged to be invited to ring in that peal.

Stephen was a motivator and influencer of others. At St Paul’s Bedford from the early 1960s through to 1980 he built probably the best local 10-bell band in the country at that time. When the bells were augmented to 12 (his initiative) the 10-bell band was retained and moved on to 12 bell ringing, with peals in methods up to Bristol Surprise Maximus being rung. Many of that band are still active today in Bedfordshire or elsewhere in the country and make their own contributions.

He left for Oxford around 1980 and for a time worked for White’s of Appleton. During the 1990’s the mediocre 6’s at St Thomas and St Mary Magdalen were transformed, largely through Stephen’s efforts, into the wonderful light 10’s we know today.

From about the mid-2000’s Stephen began to suffer bouts of poor health, leading to the long illness from which he suffered for several years. His last peal was in April 2007 and he died on January 7 2010.

For me, his contribution to the Exercise was immense and he will be remembered as one of the true giants of the Exercise in the last 50 years. Above all else, he possessed tremendous drive. It was this, allied to gifts of phenomenal theoretical and practical ability, that enabled him to achieve so much.

By way of contrast, all this achievement was tempered by a great generosity, freely given, to both people and towers. For example, not so well known or remembered is that he provided invaluable DIY assistance to many towers in this county over the years. He was essentially a modest person, happiest with his own people and his many friends, who will miss him greatly. Our thoughts are with Avril at this difficult time.

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J Alan Ainsworth

I knew Stephen for over 50 years, first meeting him on a peal tour in 1957 when we shared a room. He was an intriguing and mercurial character, even more so in his younger days, who later went on to lead and nurture a strong band at St Paul’s Bedford, and then to mastermind the two splendid little 10s in Oxford at St Thos and St Mary Mag.

He had the ability both to lift a piece of ringing from mediocrity to sublimity and also to give offence by a harsh comment, but his knowledge and grasp of composition, clappers or frame design, tuning of bells, computer software and hardware, the music of Handel or Mozart, was unmatched.

He helped us at Amersham when we went from 8 to 12 both practically in loaning his drill for weeks and in liaising with Taylor’s Bell Foundry over the casting/tuning of the six new bells.

We rang 107 peals together, including the 16368 Cambridge Maximus in which he rang the 9th, and I am glad I could call him a friend.

J Alan Ainsworth Amersham, Buckinghamshire 11th January 2010

 

David Stanford

Stephen will inevitably be remembered for his ingenuity and skill in bell hanging and restoration and his many compositions but in addition to these practical capabilities he possessed great personal qualities in leadership, coaching and a unique style of humour. Like many others who met and rang with Stephen I have fond memories of a friend mentor and coach whom I respected and held in high regard.

After learning to ring at Elstow Bedford in 1969 age ten I progressed little beyond hunting the treble until 1971, when Brother Stephen and Robert Wood (Woody) were ringing at Bedford St Paul following an invitation from Stephen. Possibly contrary to popular belief Bedford St Paul was open to any reasonably capable ringer but an invitation from Stephen certainly would have had some significance. At the time I did not consider such matters and one Sunday morning I tagged along with my brother and Woody in the hope I would get a ring. As I remember, Stephen, having established my primitive ringing credentials, assigned me to hunt the treble to Grandsire Triples with Avril standing behind. I doubt I made much of a job of it but was pleased to have rung and felt a sense of achievement. I was somewhat surprised when Stephen suggested I might come again. This was the beginning of my regular attendance at Bedford St Paul under Stephen’s leadership which afforded me the best opportunity I could have expected. In spite of the high standard expected and complexity of methods normally rung Stephen always catered for my needs ensuring that I had an opportunity to develop my ringing further. My persistence and I assume Stephen’s tolerance must have paid off because on 17 September 1972 Stephen called my first peal, Grandsire Triples on the treble at Bedford St Paul. I was delighted.

I continued to ring at St Pauls until around 1975 when other interests took me away from ringing but on Christmas Eve 1979 with nothing else planned I decided to venture to St Pauls once again. At the end of the evenings ringing Stephen asked when I might be coming back. I considered my unannounced period of absence might have not conveyed the value I placed on Stephen’s previous attempt to make me a ringer and with his apparent wish for me to return an interest in ringing was rekindled. Shortly after this Stephen and Avril moved to Oxford. I stayed ringing at St Pauls and eventually graduated to ring on higher numbers, coached and supported by members of the experienced twelve bell band that Stephen created.

I particularly recall from this period a quarter peal of Grandsire Triples, possibly my first on an inside bell. I struggled to get to grips with being in the hunt but Stephen soon fixed that. The first three or four occasions I failed to stay in the hunt he gave a gentle reminder, increasing in volume each time. Inevitably a limit was reached and Stephen deemed a more assertive instruction to be necessary. At volume he bellowed “David get in the ******* hunt!” I made no further mistakes thereafter and at the end of the quarter peal a grin and a “well done ” from Stephen was enough to put me at ease and a reminder to do my homework in future! I still sometimes forget I am in the hunt when ringing Grandsire and on realising I vividly recall Stephen on that occasion. It reminds me to always do my best. Steve’s frustration would have come from the fact he knew I could do better. That was Stephen’s approach, getting the best from people and improving it.

After Stephen and Avril left Bedford to live in Oxford we met and rang together only occasionally and exchanged correspondence. I know Stephen maintained an interest in not only what I was ringing but also my family and their welfare. I am glad that prior to his death I was able to share with him my recollections of those earlier years and express my gratitude to what he did for me as well as talk about other topics of common interest.

I am saddened that Stephen is no longer with us and I will hold personal memories of him as a friend, leader, coach and role model whose personal achievements were directed at the greater good.

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Peter Giles

Memories of Stephen Ivin by Peter Giles (Oxford University Society of Change Ringers)

I have many fond memories of Steve, but the ones which come to mind most readily are:

But of course above all not just the stories but the achievements and the great fellowship. And giving Oxford not one but two fantastic memorials.

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Stephen Stanford

A shortened version of this tribute was read at Stephen’s Memorial Service held at St Thomas the Martyr Oxford, on 22nd February 2010.

It is with some considerable sadness, yet also a great privilege, to be invited to speak today, to celebrate and pay tribute to the life and work of Stephen Ivin. He inspired and positively influenced the lives of many of us, particularly those from the ringing fraternity. We will all have many fond memories of Steve and the good times that we have shared with him, often enhanced by legendary stories of his sometimes outrageous behaviour.

I would not wish to spoil the fun by recounting all of these again now, and in any case, Avril has warned me to watch the clock!

Neither could I do justice in a few minutes to Steve’s achievements in ringing and bell restoration work, which are truly immense.

There are of course his personal ringing records;

Also unparalleled contributions to bell restoration and maintenance:

But perhaps even more consequential than these individual records and this extensive bell restoration work was Steve’s influence in the development and progress of ringers; his achievements in developing and leading the Bedford band during the 60’s and 70’s about which Chris has spoken, followed in the 1990s by equally impressive developments of the bells and ringing in Oxford that Clive will talk about later.

I first met Steve in the belfry at St Paul’s Bedford one Sunday morning in July 1970. In those days St Paul’s was the Mecca of ringing in Bedfordshire and the surrounding area, and not a place where many dared to cross the threshold – certainly not where a couple of very inexperienced young lads from a six bell tower down the road should show up uninvited on a Sunday morning!

I was asked to ring a few rounds, and did so with some difficulty (probably my first on ten) after which Steve barked in a rather dismissive manner “You can’t ring like that up here” At the time I rang left over right! I quickly switched and after a few difficult weeks never thought much more of it – at least I was invited back. It was years later when I learned that Steve used to ring left over right – until George Fearn told him that he’d never known a good ringer that did.

And so began what was to become an almost lifelong friendship of some 40 years that only ended with Steve’s untimely death.

Steve was a very good friend to me – one of the best – and it is in this context that I should most like to speak today. I was not the most capable or prolific of Steve’s ringing protégés at Bedford, but I soon discovered that he greatly valued, and always found time for, anyone who showed promise, was loyal to the band, took ringing seriously, and was prepared to work at improving.

Over the years we shared and developed many interests beyond ringing;

Our perspectives were often similar. Also the Bedfordshire ol’ boys, sense of humour; self deprecating, slightly cynical, disparaging and on occasions politically incorrect! Perhaps it can be attributed to acidic pollution from the Bedfordshire brick chimneys that were once located in the area between Houghton Conquest and Elstow.

So how shall I remember Steve?

Firstly, Steve was very genuine and extraordinarily generous.

At the time of the Bedford augmentation he registered the Stephen Ivin bell fund as a personal charity and subsequently gave considerable financial support to a succession of projects at Bedford, here in Oxford, and elsewhere. I know that these often took precedence over his personal situation and needs.

In the early days, I and others recall many small, yet hugely significant gestures, such as giving us his wedding money, paying our peal fees, providing lifts – even if he was not ringing, or making a detour across half of Bedfordshire to get us home. He was never possessive in a material sense and in later years he frequently lent or gave me books, bits of electronic and computing hardware, and bell hanging gear.

But perhaps more than this, Steve was very generous with his time and expertise, always ready on the end of the phone or to receive a visit, delighted to help with a problem, to explore an idea, or simply enjoying the shear pleasure of sharing and explaining his latest work or development with an interested friend. I have benefited from, and enjoyed, many hours spent in this way.

Just imagine how long it took to design and build the frame her at St Thomas’; all constructed from steel strip that was cut with an angle grinder and drilled by hand with a pistol drill; and this (over 200 sections and one thousand holes) only a relatively minor part of one project. It was a typical example of his unstinting commitment and dedication.

Secondly and perhaps contrary to the façade, Steve was very considerate, always concerned for the welfare of close friends, especially in times of trouble or difficulty.

He showed particular concern when I was once quite seriously ill, and I spent several weekends with Steve and Avril when recovering. More recently when I faced unemployment, and thinking that I might be in difficulty, he offered financial help. Fortunately it wasn’t needed, but it was an incredibly kind gesture that meant more to me than he possibly imagined.

Steve and Avril were wonderful hosts, and the love and care that they shared for one another was equally levelled on their guests. I often stayed with them at Blandford Avenue and was always made very welcome. As with his ringing, Steve paid great attention to the details; to ensure that the room was comfortable, to bring a cup of tea in the morning, to make the toast, serve morning coffee, and to arrange meals with Avril – wonderful, and invariably home cooked. He was a great entertainer in ways that contrasted quite markedly with his escapades in the tower.

When I left Bedford for University in Birmingham, I felt very privileged that Steve made the effort to stay in touch. I would invariably receive a phone call to check my availability for service ringing and peals during vacations, and I well recall his updates on the augmentation at Bedford, ensuring that I still felt part of things.

And I also remember that he was very honoured when I asked him to provide me with a reference for my first job – he would have put a lot of effort into doing that. It must have been a good one as I landed the job – poignant perhaps that this was located in the village that some forty year later was to be his final home.

Thirdly, I shall remember Steve as a very effective leader. He had a clear vision of what he was trying to achieve and although his methods could be indirect and somewhat unconventional, they were usually very successful.

Those who may have considered his motives and actions to be self centred were usually missing the wider picture. He certainly had no time or patience with anyone or anything that might stand in the way of progress, but with ringing and bells Steve knew what was possible, and he was driven by a desire and ability to create something better and of lasting benefit to others – he had a tremendous sense of purpose.

It is perhaps no coincidence that the projects at St Mary Magd. and here at St Thomas’ both started as far more modest schemes – feasible and unlikely to encounter much opposition. But subsequent developments – two excellent brand new rings of ten – would have required considerably more than an opportunistic response to unfolding events. He knew what was wanted and where he was going.

By today’s measures Steve’s approach in the belfry (the same people ringing the same bells to the same methods, with a relentless attention to striking, rather than method complexity and repertoire) might be considered rather conservative, and modern day theorists would doubtless be disparaging of his leadership style; yet at Bedford he succeeded in identifying and making opportunities for a generation of very capable young (and some not so young) ringers, creating one of the top Sunday Service bands of the day. This, and not so much the peal ringing, was always the primary objective. I cannot recall many Sundays without an hour of ringing for both services.

Quite recently, reflecting on the time at Bedford Steve said to me, “we were very lucky you know”. But of course it was a great deal more than just luck; we owe so much to his dedication and leadership without which it would not have been possible.

Fourthly, Steve was extraordinarily skilled and talented and was very quick to discover and learn new things. Some would describe him as a genius.

As an engineer I greatly appreciated his very considerable understanding of mathematics and physics, not only because he had such an excellent grasp of the basic theory and first principles, but also because he instinctively knew about, and was remarkably adept in, their practical application. His design and construction of the installations here in Oxford are testament to this. All the more incredible perhaps because, as a Classicist, most if not all of his technical knowledge, was self acquired.

I think that privately Steve regretted his decision to read Classics; probably more inspired by the prizes he won at school and a public scholarship than by his interest in the subject. He was an excellent engineer, and but for a lack of tolerance for the kind of bureaucracy and arrogance found in many academic establishments, he might well have found a career in academia.

He was not however a particularly good teacher – far too fast and impatient for that – as Avril would no doubt confirm. He tended to assume that you already knew what he was talking about. On occasions it was like being on a roller coaster – just about possible to hang on and follow him, although it required you to exert maximum effort – but could be equally thrilling!

My move from Bedford to Oxfordshire in 1978 pre dated Steve and Avril’s by about a year.

Despite rapid progress following the augmentation at Bedford, Steve had become somewhat disillusioned. It was clearly a wrench to leave after almost two decades of very considerable effort and personal sacrifice, and he was very concerned that things should be left in good hands for others, as for a period at least, they were.

This was a difficult time for Steve, when he first began to suffer from periods of indifferent health that sadly, he never really overcame. He became a little reclusive and generally lost interest in ringing, but I often visited Steve and Avril at Leafield, usually in the evenings after work, and it was largely during those years that we developed other common interests that cemented our friendship.

Steve had acquired one of the earliest microprocessors, and taught himself an incredible amount about programming and electronic construction. This rekindled an interest I had developed some years earlier to build a ringing machine and digitally simulate bell sounds.

Needless to say, that with Steve’s assistance, it was soon done, pre dating Abel by almost twenty years. I remember Holt’s Original coming to a rather abrupt end one morning when the cat walked over the circuit board and rather disturbed things – so much for the reliability of machines. And neither the cat nor the machine would respond to being shouted at!

Other common interests included the computer proof of compositions, and the tuning and dynamics of bells, subjects in which Steve was very knowledgeable and became something of an authority. Indeed, he later co-sponsored Bill Hibbert’s Open University PhD thesis on the quantification of strike pitch and pitch shift in Church bells, and his contributions were acknowledged there.

It was also at about this time that Steve spent a couple of years working for Whites of Appleton, where he rapidly assimilated sufficient practical and technical knowledge from Frank and Brian to be considered a potential competitor! Den Leslie, who was also there at that time, affectionately referred to him as ‘the brain’

When some time later Steve was asked by an Oxford Mail reporter here at St Thomas’s what he did for a living he informed her that he was a kind of itinerant amateur apprentice bell hanger – and that I was an itinerant amateur apprentice bell hanger’s apprentice!

Although initially very disinterested in anything beyond a basic operating system, Steve probably understood the workings (and deficiencies) of Microsoft software better than Bill Gates. This led him to reject such commercially available products in favour of his own first principles developments; often far more cost effective and efficient, but almost impossible for anyone else to understand, as Avril discovered when trying to re-establish the internet and Email connection shortly after his death.

More recently Steve’s work in identifying and manipulating specialist scanning software enabled him to convert the disparate layout and typefaces used by the Ringing World into a database readable format. This nicely complimented Andrew Craddock’s herculean efforts on PealBase, enabling another ten or more years to be added. Even with the software, a considerable amount of manual manipulation was required – all the more remarkable that this was achieved, with Avril’s patient help, during his final illness.

Fifthly, I shall remember Steve as a perfectionist. He always aspired to achieve the very best that was possible, and he encouraged and inspired others to do likewise. He had a disdainful regard for anything that might be regarded as lacking maximum effort or being sub standard.

Yet despite his incredible abilities, and obvious successes, there were periods of concern and self doubt; at heart he was modest and could be uncharacteristically nervous about important occasions and public performances. At times I think that he genuinely feared failure; the thought of letting friends down would have been abhorrent. Peals that had to be rung for special occasions were more than usually prone to premature, although often humorous endings, possibly contrived.

Perfectionism never stood in the way of his generosity though. One Monday night part way through a peal of London Royal Steve turned to ringer on the ninth and said, “Could you lend me a quid?” Looking a little puzzled, he fiddled around in his pocket for a lead or so and said “yes, probably” “Oh good”, came the reply, “because this isn’t going to get any better and I can’t stand much more of it tonight. We may as well go to the pub, except I don’t have any money. Stand!”

Finally, I shall remember the tremendous courage and determination that Steve showed during his final years of illness.

Despite his deteriorating condition and obvious discomfort he remained incredibly positive and productively engaged in a whole range of activities until only two months before he died.

The work with Pealbase that I have already mentioned, the Peter Border memorial plaque, new compositions (including one for Shelagh Melville’s 80th birthday), and the London Major compilation, which he would not have completed without generous support from Richard Jones, are all products of this period.

I always greatly enjoyed our phone conversations, and this period was no exception. His continued enthusiasm to talk about work in hand was quite contagious, and his comments about ringers and ringing no less acute. This was of course as much attributable to the devoted love and unstinting care that he received from Avril as it was due to his own tenacity and pragmatism. They were a wonderful team. When I mentioned this following Steve’s death, Avril said to me, “What else could I have done?” The simple answer, that I am sure that Steve would have given, is, “Nothing”.

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Felmersham

Stephen Ivin: A tribute given at the Bedfordshire Association Bedford District AGM at Felmersham on 17 January 2010 by Stephen Stanford Steve was probably the most competent and well known ringer to have originated from Bedfordshire. His early years were spent in Houghton Conquest and he learnt to ring there in the late 40’s. He attended Bedford School from where he won a public scholarship and went up to Merton College Oxford to read Classics, although (as with many peals of Stedman), this was to have an unconventional finish!

Steve came under the influence of Eddie Jeffries at an early age. Eddie’s green grocer’s shop in The Broadway was conveniently close to Bedford School and in Steve’s own words “it became a kind of second home to some of us”

He rang his first peal, aged 11, the treble to Plain Bob Minor, at Stagsden on 26th August 1949, conducted by J Michael Stephens; with Cliff Izzard, John Long, Chris Woodhead, and Eddie Jeffries also in the band. This was to be the beginning of a long and distinguished ringing career that would see him become one of the country’s most prolific ringers, particularly renowned for his skills as a composer, conductor, and heavy bell ringer, and perhaps more notoriously, for enticing the best possible standard of ringing from an otherwise mediocre band.

His simple composition of Bristol S Major, composed at an early age and first rung here at Felmersham (on September 29th 1956) conducted by Mark Lancefield, must be one of the most frequently rung compositions in that method and of Surprise Major, and is a fine example of the logical clear thinking and structure associated with much of Steve’s work, both in ringing, and in other fields. But London Surprise, and particularly London Surprise Major, was his real passion. His pioneering work in the mid 50s resulted in him discovering that bobbed courses with 5 and 6 in 56 were true (long before the days of computing of course). This paved the way for a series of compositions by Steve and others that increasingly exploited the method’s musical qualities, resulting in renewed interest and enthusiasm for ringing it. Steve’s work on London Major was recently recorded and published in a most interesting book containing forty eight of his compositions.

It would be impossible to do justice to Steve’s ringing achievements in a few sentences, but amongst them was the then record length of Cambridge S Maximus at Birmingham Cathedral in 1965 (anyone who has heard Steve’s recording of this will know that it really was ringing of the very highest standard) conducting over 28,000 changes of an attempt for the extent of Bob Major at Loughborough Bell Foundry in 13 hours and 18 minutes, that he stopped after an otherwise excellent performance was marred when one of the ringers became temporarily entangled in his rope (a decision that caused considerable controversy) ringing the 11th at St Paul’s Cathedral to Cambridge S Maximus with John Mayne and Jim Phillips on the tenor (I know that it was of the very highest quality as I drove him to London that day and listened to the entire peal), and the tenor at Exeter prior to re hanging (Jim Belshaw strapping).

Beyond all this there was 1522 peals (about 50% of which he conducted) including 309 peals of London S Major (21 of them on hand bells) of which he conducted 240 the most rung and conducted in that method by anyone. And it has been suggested to me that he probably rang and called Holts Original peal of Grandsire Triples more times than anyone else, although this would require verification. He could certainly call it from memory on demand, and did so on more than one occasion.

I first met Stephen Ivin in the belfry at St Paul’s Bedford one Sunday morning in July 1970. St Paul’s was the Mecca of ringing in Bedfordshire and the surrounding area.

It was not a place where many dared to cross the threshold and certainly not where a couple of young lads from a six bell tower down the road should show up uninvited on a Sunday morning! But this is precisely what Robert Wood and I did. I was invited to ring a few rounds and did so with some difficulty (probably my first on ten) after which Steve pronounced in a rather dismissive manner “You can’t ring like that up here” At the time I rang left over right! I quickly switched and after a few difficult weeks never thought too much more of it. I did however notice that another eminent ringer frequently seen on the tenor box (and now a resident of Cheshire) also rang left over right, but being somewhat impressed that I had actually been invited back, I (wisely in retrospect) decided that it would not be a good idea to question this. I later learned that Steve also used to ring left over right – that was until George Fearn told him that he’d never known a good ringer that did! I have very many things to thank Steve for over the years, one of which is the initially useless but now too frequently necessary ability to ring double handed on a Sunday morning!

And so began what was to become an almost lifelong friendship of some 40 years that only ended with Steve’s untimely death on 7th January caused by the myeloma (bone marrow cancer) from which he had suffered for the last two and a half years.

This (the early 70s) was probably the time when Bedford ringing was at its peak, and some of the best in the country. Of course I did not appreciate this at the time, until I later left for University in Birmingham, and gradually came to the conclusion that the standard of ringing, if not the repertoire, was at least as enticing in Bedford!

On returning from Oxford in the early 60,s Steve had taken over from Sid Foskett at Bedford, (I use those words cautiously as I do not believe it was an entirely amicable hand over), and he built a Surprise Royal band from the ground up. Starting with Grandsire, Stedman and basic Surprise Major Methods and gradually extending the repertoire, I understood from him that it was a hard struggle, with the usual church and tower politics to address.

Steve instigated the re hanging of the bells in 1966 and subsequent installation of the sound control, creating the opportunity for more and easier ringing. He was greatly assisted during this early period, and always acknowledged the loyal support he received, from his wife Avril, and people such as Bob Piron (and later Jeremy), Martyn and Katie Marriott, George Amor, Arthur Gibbs, and Jim Edwards amongst others, who formed the nucleus of the band, in time to be joined by Michael and Jill Orme, Keith and Linda Fleming, Malcolm and Shelagh Melville, Chris Hughes, Robert Wood and myself. Later incarnations of the band included my brother David, Angela and Crawford Allen, David and Lynda Lazzerini, Martin Major, Ian Harris and Chris Pickford.

In addition to the Sunday ringing there were the legendary practice nights supported by many others from the surrounding area; Anthony and Charlotte Smith, Bob Churchill, Cliff Izzard, Ron Sharp and (as a result of some would say an ill fated meeting with Robert Wood and myself on a bus between Bedford and Woburn), Mark Regan, to name but a few. Sorry for any I may have missed out! In addition there was the peal ringing opportunities; always Sunday afternoons or Monday nights, with ringers primarily drawn from the Sunday service band and Monday night regulars. I could write a book of stories about these, but it is perhaps best left for another occasion. Suffice to say that Steve’s leadership style would probably be frowned upon and regarded as unconventional by some modern day theorists, but none the less he was highly effective in identifying people with potential and sufficient ambition, and in encouraging the best from them. On more than one occasion when the practices became rather too popular with the “wrong people”, a peal was quietly organised without informing those concerned. Turning up on a Monday night to find the bells ringing and the door locked was usually, except in one or two notable cases, sufficient to dampen all enthusiasm for further visits! Quite recently, reflecting on these times Steve said to me, “we were very lucky you know” but of course it was a good deal more than just luck; we all owe so much to Steve’s dedication and leadership without which it would not have been possible.

I should say at this point that Steve’s priority was always regular high quality Sunday Service ringing at Bedford, preferably with the same people ringing the same bells. (The 7th, 8th and 9th are still affectionately referred to by some of us as Malcolm’s bell, George’s bell and Bob’s bell, and there are others). I cannot recall many, if any occasions when the bells were not rung for an hour before both the morning and evening Sunday services. Despite what many may think, this was never an elitist peal band. Indeed few if any of the ringers of that time were well known or prolific beyond the Bedford area and only one or two of them have subsequently become so. Rather, it was a Sunday service band that engaged in peal ringing as a means of advancement (quality in preference to the method repertoire which was, relatively speaking, quite conservative) and of course enjoyment. This said, I recall forays into London no1, Clyde, and Wimborne Surprise Royal, all rung to peals during this period.

By the time Robert Wood and I joined the band in 1970, three straight courses of Surprise Royal was often the standard fare on a Sunday morning; Cambridge, London (when Jim Edwards arrived in his dilapidated Morris Minor) and Bristol, interspersed with Grandsire and Stedman Caters, usually for our benefit.

It was at around this time that the idea of augmenting Bedford to twelve was first muted, but it was not until 1978 that the dream was to be realised, a project that was master minded and to a large extent funded by Steve and other members of the band through the Stephen Ivin bell fund that he established as a charity to finance this and other projects with which he was associated. These included the recasting of 5th and 7th bells at Husborne Crawley, the rehanging and augmentation at Kempston, and the augmentations at Henlow and Ampthill, amongst others. And there are of course numerous towers in and around Bedfordshire that benefited from advice and general maintenance and improvements that Steve carried out.

I was at University in Birmingham when the augmentation work at Bedford was in progress, and I well remember Steve’s calls to update me. It was one of his dreams coming true. He was always very considerate in this regard, ensuring that I still felt part of the action. I would usually receive a phone call towards the end of terms to check my availability for peals during the vacation.

Following the augmentation, Steve soon had the band ringing on twelve; the first peal being Grandsire Cinques (12 March 1978) by a Sunday Service band, followed by Stedman Cinques (10 April 1978), Cambridge S Maximus (15 April 1978), and Bristol S Maximus (28 December 1978), all firsts in the county.

But despite all this, Steve had become a little disillusioned, and at the end of 1979 he and Avril moved to Leafield just outside Witney in Oxfordshire. I know that Steve agonised about how to leave matters in Bedford – we had several discussions about it – and it was a difficult time for him personally. More than anything he wanted the ringing and availability of the bells that he had fought so hard for to continue for those he was leaving behind. It was of course the result of almost two decades of very considerable effort and personal sacrifice. Here he succeeded too, at least for a time.

Following the move to Oxfordshire, Steve became a little reclusive, and apart from two periods when he rang on Sunday mornings at Oxford Cathedral following the completion of work to the tower there, and St Paul’s Cathedral, mostly during the time when John Chilcott was ringing master, he did not do much ringing and generally lost interest. By comparison with Bedford, there was certainly nothing very enticing about the bells and ringing in Oxford at that time (although in my case this was to a large extent mitigated by ringing at Appleton, outings with the Oxford Society gang, and excursions to Reading). As Steve had by then lost his appetite for consuming vast quantities of beer, he was not similarly persuaded! My move to Oxfordshire to work for Esso at Abingdon had pre dated his by about a year, and so it was that we remained in regular contact. I frequently visited Steve and Avril at Leafield, and it was largely during those years that we discovered many more common interests beyond ringing, that cemented our friendship. Steve had purchased a Zilog Z80, one of the earliest microprocessors, and had taught himself an incredible amount about electronics, programming in machine code / assembler, and the construction of electronic circuits. I later usurped him with a Motorola 6809 and with his generous assistance we soon both had programmable ringing machines, some ten or fifteen years before Abel. I remember Holt’s Original coming to a rather abrupt end one morning when the cat walked over the circuit board and rather disturbed things – so much for the reliability of machines. And they didn’t respond to being shouted at either!

We also shared a common interest and tastes in music – with such an ingenious and rigorous mind it had to include Handel and Bach, and I still have a cassette that Steve gave me with the Brandenburg concertos 1 and 3 on one side and an early recording of the twelve at Bedford on the other (the local band ringing Stedman Cinques at 3 hours 45 speed – fantastic stuff). Other interests included computer proof of compositions, and the tuning and dynamics of bells, subjects in which Steve was very knowledgeable and became something of an authority. Indeed, he co-sponsored Bill Hibbert’s Open University PhD thesis on the quantification of strike pitch and pitch shift in Church bells and his contributions are acknowledged there.

Our friendship continued after my move to Fawley in 1984 and I regularly visited Steve and Avril at Blandford Avenue in Oxford, to where they had moved at about the same time. I would often stop over on my way to or from Bedford, or stay the weekend, and always greatly enjoyed my visits, not least because Steve and Avril were such excellent hosts; always very welcoming and pleased to see me. We had much in common (including of course our memories of the Bedford years) and in many ways we shared a similar outlook and sense of humour (perhaps it can be attributed to living too close to the Bedfordshire brickworks). Our conversations were always challenging and intellectually stimulating, all the more enjoyable for that, and Steve would invariably sound me out on various ideas and projects.

As an engineer I greatly appreciated his very considerable understanding of mathematics and physics, not only because he had such a good grasp of basic theory and first principles (far better than mine), but also because he invariably knew about and was very adept in the practical application of those theories and principles. All the more remarkable because, as a Classicist, most if not all of his knowledge was self acquired. He was not however a particularly good teacher – far too fast and impatient for that. As Avril would no doubt confirm, he tended to assume that you already knew what he was talking about. On occasions it was like being on a roller coaster – just about possible to hang on and follow if you exercised maximum effort!

After the move to Blandford Avenue in Oxford, and despite periods of indifferent health, this was to be his renaissance period as far as bells and ringing was concerned.

The late 80’s saw the start of work to rehang and eventually replace and augment the bells at St Mary Magdalen Oxford, a project that some years later resulted in a brand new and very agreeable 7cwt ring of ten. This was followed in 1990 by the rehanging of the bells at Lincoln College Oxford, and in 1991 by another project that over a five year period provided another new ring of ten at St Thomas’ Oxford. They are without doubt one of (if not the) best ten of their weight, and they were something of a pioneering development in the establishment of light rings of ten.

I (and others) spent many hours working with Steve on this project. We could work for hours in the tower without talking much, yet always seemed to know what the other was doing. Indeed we shared many perceptions and had similar outlooks on many things. A little diversion up to Edwalton near Nottingham to help Martyn Marriott augment the three bells there to produces a lively little six (in memory of Katie, of whom he was very fond) preceded completion of the St Mary Magdelen project. The augmentation there was a memorial to his life long friend Peter Border, and fittingly, although perhaps not intentionally, Steve’s final project; his work possibly bought to a premature end following a fall from the vestry roof at St Thomas’.

All of this activity was of course combined with a resurgence of peal ringing in Oxford; peals of London S Major and Royal flowing weekly on Monday and Tuesday evenings when the University was down. New compositions were produced and Steve surpassed Bill Pye’s record for the numbers of peals of London S Major rung and conducted. He appropriately conducted his 226th at St Stephens in Brannel, where Bill Pye rang his last and 226th peal of London S Major.

But very sadly this was not to continue. In 2007, following a move to Steventon, a new and more diligent GP discovered first a stomach ulcer that was successfully treated, but then, when all was not well, myeloma. I remember receiving a phone call from Avril whilst travelling on a train on my way back from Middlesborough, with the devastating news. I watched with great sadness as Steve slowly deteriorated, lovingly cared for by Avril. Yet even towards the end, we would have regular telephone calls when he would tell me enthusiastically about his latest project – bell tuning, peal records for Andrew Craddock’s pealbase, a memorial plaque to Peter Border, and the latest developments. Despite his condition he remained cheerful and positive until a month or two before he died, when life simply became too difficult and he was really no longer able to engage his mind in the things that interested him.

His final words to me after a few minutes on the phone one morning were “Steve, I can’t go on any more, I shall have to go” I shall never know whether he was only referring to that phone call, but very sadly we never spoke again.

Steve was an Honorary Life Member of the Bedfordshire Association. He also previously served as Association Secretary (1962-1963) and Peal Secretary (1956-1963 and 1976 – 1980), and he was also for some time an Honorary Member of the Central Council. But his greatest contribution to this Association was surely not in any official capacity, but in the bells and the ringers and also the many happy memories that remain here in Bedfordshire.

In Steve’s passing we have lost a great (the greatest) Bedfordshire ringer, and I have lost a very dear friend – a friendship that I shall always greatly value. I shall never be able to enter a bell chamber, as I did here at Felmersham this afternoon, without thinking of Steve; the good times we had, and the many things he taught me. How poignant that the first thing I noticed as I came down from inspecting the bells was a framed copy of a peal rung for Steve and Avril’s engagement. Dear friend, it’s been good knowing you, rest in peace.

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Clive Holloway

This tribute was read at Stephen’s Memorial Service held at St Thomas the Martyr Oxford, on 22nd February 2010.

In 1987 Stephen and Avril moved to Leafield near Witney. He was at that time a member of the St Paul’s Cathedral band, and was for four more years. In 1982 they moved to Oxford. In the early 80’s Stephen started ringing regularly in Oxford. At that time ringing at Christchurch mainly consisted of Grandsire and Stedman Cinques. With his encouragement and persistence we were able to ring Cambridge Maximus without it falling apart when trips occurred. We were spurred on by such words as “Don’t overshoot the runway” and “Cut out the broken glass on the front”.

He went on to assist many of us through our first peals of Maximus. He then got many of us through our first peals of London and Bristol Major and Royal. We had a number of attempts at Bristol Royal with a local band, sometimes having to go to towers outside Oxford. Fortunately there were no clocks inside the ringing chambers.

He was the Secretary of the Oxford Society from 1988 until 1995. In 1986, he started working on the bells at St Mary Magdalen. In 1990 he replaced the old back six. In 1992 he replaced the trebles and built a new ten bell frame. In 2001, with the generous donation from the Border family and others, two more bells were added, making them a delightful light ring of ten.

In 1990 he started work at Lincoln College to re-hang the eight bells, but discovered that the fame in one corner was rotten. This was due to that corner of the frame being built into an old chimney which had effectively become a down-pipe. So it was decided to construct a new frame. This was satisfactorily completed, making them the enjoyable eight they are today. In 1992 he started work at St Thomas’ initially re-hanging the old six in a new ten bell frame. Then over a period, bells were added and tuned, and re-cast, and were made ten in 1996. They are now a joy to ring and listen to.

These three projects demonstrated his ability in planning and fundraising and completion by sheer hard work. The frame at St Thomas’ is a testament to his engineering skills. He transposed the old double bar six bell frame into a ten bell frame by altering and extending it. He drilled over 1,000 holes and cut numerous pieces of steel bar.

I was involved in all three projects and saw this side of his ability. Also, having rung peals, gone to the pub, or coffee in a café, he would often recount stories of some of the old ringers and give quotations from books. This was always humorous and entertaining – sometimes with a mischievous grin. (Over the two and a half years of his illness I kept in touch, and even in his darker moments he would find an amusing snippet). I feel privileged to have seen these different sides of his ability and character. I feel proud to be able to call him a friend. I and many others are grateful for his encouragement, enthusiasm, and generosity, and his wonderful legacy, which will continue to be a living memorial to him.

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Christine Darby

Oxford University Society

This tribute was read at Stephen’s Memorial Service held at St Thomas the Martyr Oxford, on 22nd February 2010.

Stephen came up to Merton College with a scholarship in October 1956, aged 18. His family home was in Houghton Conquest, Beds, where he learnt to ring as an eight- or nine-year-old. He was taken under the wing of Eddie Jeffries and with him visited a variety of other towers, gaining valuable experience. They went as far afield as Willesden, then a centre of ringing excellence.

Joining the OUS, the Oxford University Society of Change Ringers, he very quickly became instrumental in enlarging the range of methods rung by the Society to include a varied repertoire of Surprise Major, and on 13 May 1958 a band of residents rang a peal of 12-Spliced Surprise Major, conducted by Stephen. Fifty years ago this was a quite remarkable achievement. The band was Jim Pailing, Roy Stoddard, Dermot Roaf, Donald Niblett, Robin Hodgson, Colin Taylor, Robin Pittman and Stephen Ivin. On 6 May Stephen had conducted Cambridge Surprise Royal at Appleton, recorded as the first such by a resident band at any university.

Stephen had a brilliant mathematical mind, which makes it a little odd that the official subject of his attention at Oxford was Classics.

According to Colin Taylor, who shared digs with him, Stephen would spend most of his “study time” composing. He would emerge reluctantly to say “Suppose I’d better do some work”, and knock off whatever was required for an imminent tutorial in 45 minutes or so, before plunging back into composition. Colin also remembers that even then Steve was interested in bells themselves, as well as the intricacies of method and composition. The stories of his conducting prowess in peals are legion. Colin Taylor tells of his miscalling of a peal at St Ebbe’s about halfway and (no doubt after the usual expletives!) saying “Keep ringing, I’ll splice in something else.” At the end it was “Hold on – I’ll just have to check it wasn’t false”. A few minutes on the back of an envelope, and “Yes, it’s fine.”

Donald Niblett, another of the Spliced Major band who was doing post-graduate research when Stephen came up, remembers a less well-known side of him. When he came up one of his hobbies was sewing ecclesiastical vestments; when Donald obtained his doctorate (thereby automatically becoming an MA as well) it was Stephen who turned his BA gown into an MA one.

Steve was hard to classify, definitely his own man, very entertaining and a master of the one-liner, delivered with that grin we can all picture. Some found him brusque; he certainly didn’t suffer fools gladly, and those who weren’t meeting his standards in the tower were never left long in doubt about it!

I’m going to quote a few lines from Stephen’s contribution to John Spice’s history of the OUS, The Oxford University Society of Change Ringers 1872-1997 both because it’s nice to hear Steve in his own words and because he mentions some well-known Oxford names from a generation now nearly all gone [except for Frank White].

Stephen and Avril were already going out before he came up to Oxford, so his time here was punctuated by trips up to Leicester on his motorbike to visit her at college, where she was studying Domestic Science. He told us the tale of how, on a winter’s night, he was flagged down by a policeman just over the Leicestershire border and asked for his papers. Unwilling to go through the palaver of undoing his leathers, Steve said: “Oh dear, officer, your mate over the county boundary’s just stopped me for the very same thing!” The policeman stepped back and waved him on…

After three years at Oxford the mismatch between his natural bent and his official course caused him to decide not to return for his final year; so, although he had been elected Master of the OUS, he never actually served as such. Jim Pailing took over in his stead.

Steve and Avril married the following year, in 1960. When I came up in 1961 Steve was still about from time to time. I remember peal attempts at Dorchester – although, looking at my peal book, they don’t appear to have been successful! Steve enlivened one of them by removing his jumper, a party trick that features in many of the stories.

He served as a Central Council representative for the OUS from 1960 to 1968.

Of course Stephen’s greatest legacy to the OUS has been the augmentation of St Mary Magdalen and St Thomas-the-Martyr to two extremely handy light tens, hugely expanding the week by week opportunities available to members of the university, in term time, and to Oxford city ringers and friends during the vacations. Many of us here must share that mental image of him, keys in hand and pipe in mouth, opening up St Thos.

Clive will tell us more about this later part of his life, but I can’t resist telling a story passed to me by Peter Giles, about the augmentation here at St Thos. Steve said the best bit of the job was at the end, when he was breaking up the last two old buckets in the churchyard. A passing member of the public said “What a shame! It says 1706 on them!” “That’s all right, it does on the new ones too,” said Stephen.

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Keith H Fleming

It is with great sadness that I learn of Stephen Ivin’s death. I class myself as one of those who was privileged to have come under his influence and to have had the benefit of his tuition during the transformation of the St Paul’s Bedford band in the late 1960’s.

In my early/mid twenties I was happy to bumble along with tower grabbing and to ring Plain Bob and Grandsire when, one day I had a tap on my shoulder from Stephen, he told me to ‘stop messing about and get my finger out’ and to learn some Surprise Major methods! Typical of Stephen is that he never poached ringers from their home tower but, through providing a practice night that you felt you ‘must attend’ at Bedford, he then had the pick of any up and coming ringers who travelled great distances to be there. This created a competitive atmosphere, firstly to be asked to ring, and then not to go wrong once you were on the end of a rope! It would not have been tolerated in those days to have arrived at practice not having learned a method properly or trying to ring it whilst looking a piece of paper at the same time.

Time can play tricks on one’s memory but, conferring with my contemporaries who say the same, I recall taking part in some first class ringing in those years. Stephen had the knack of getting excellent ringing from a band of fairly ordinary people and he would not tolerate second rate ringing under any circumstances. This of course gave Stephen a reputation for being a bit temperamental but, to this day I have rarely come across another ringer who knew how to enjoy his ringing and, what is more important, made sure that everyone else in the band shared this feeling at the same time. Many funny moments come to mind and tense ones too! I remember ringing along side him in a peal attempt at Bedford, which seemed to be taking rather a long time to settle down, when he leaned across to me and asked if he could borrow £5, after I recovered from the shock of the question, and replying that of course he could, he immediately called ‘stand’ as he thought that the time would be better spent in the pub! On another occasion at Luton, in attempting to ring Bristol Royal with many firsts in the band, he let a fire up go on for a very long time with no attempt to put anyone right and, after he eventually called stand, he announced that those who thought he was too trigger happy in setting up peals should now be happy, as they had had a good run for their money! A spanking good peal of Stedman Triples was being rung when, after an hour or so, Stephen announced that by calling ‘Bob’ so many times he was abusing the name of a Robert in the band; so for the rest of the composition the calls were restricted to the use of the name of the person in the bob making position, needless to say no one flinched or went wrong. After a failed peal attempt at Husborne Crawley through a broken rope, there was a period of ‘messing about’ which included Stephen ringing one of the bells to a course of London in the floor above the ringing room whilst the rest of the ringers rang by rhythm from below! I could go on with many other happy memories, including the near loss of trousers at Bromham or the oily vest at St. Neots, but I will spare you….

As a native of Bedfordshire, Stephen had a great love and respect for the ringing heritage of that county and, from that tradition, grew his life long love of London as a method of first choice to ring. Others are far more qualified than I to comment on his skills as a composer, but I do know that he struggled long and hard to keep to what were then traditional types of calls (i.e. bobs only) and at the lead ends. The choice of method for peal attempts was not restricted to Surprise, as Stephen was just as happy to ring a nice relaxing peal of Grandsire Caters or Stedman at any time, and especially if it was some ones first peal, or first in a method. It would be interesting to know just how many times he called ‘Holts Original’ as I wonder if it could amount to some kind of record. With a home PC taken for granted today it is difficult to appreciate just how much time and effort Stephen put into composing and the proving of compositions. In this he was lucky in that Texas Instruments, by whom he was employed at that time, allowed him so much freedom in his researches. In those far off days a main frame computer was the size of a very large room at least! It was many a planned peal attempt that started out life with a list of initials written by Stephen on an old T I punched card, whilst enjoying a pint or two in the pub!

Stephen was an example to us all in that he put back into ringing far more than he took out of it. He was more than happy to help a local six bell tower sort out a maintenance problem and, whilst he made no claims to be a mechanical engineer, to this day I would still use some of his solutions and tests for the odd striking of bells, as to me these have never been improved upon.

It was through Stephen Ivin that I became elected to the Society which I consider to be a great honour.

His name and influence will live on in ringing, whilst others may be long forgotten.

May I suggest that a fitting tribute by the Society to Stephen’s memory would be for the peal day this year to feature his compositions, and to be mainly London Surprise of course?

10th January 2010

Letter to The Ringing World

Stephen Ivin’s lifelong love of London Surprise Major With a composer’s insight, the review by Rod Pipe of ‘Compositions of London Surprise Major’ by Stephen Ivin, makes most interesting reading indeed. Whilst there may have been some competition in Bedfordshire in the 1950’s to inherit the conducting mantle from the late C Edward Jeffries who, because of his business commitments, was unable to be free to ring and conduct Saturday peals, I think that Stephens’s love of London Surprise stemmed from a more historic quarter.

The tradition of ringing London in the county dates back to the 1920/1930’s when the church at Woburn had a Sunday Service band capable of ringing this method, and rang peals of it during this period. Most of the ringers worked on the nearby Woburn Abbey Estate owned by the Duke of Bedford, and were no doubt employed in manual jobs in agriculture or horticulture etc. I understand that they were taught methods by moving stones about on the ground and, to have had a band of ringers capable of ringing London was a tremendous achievement in those days, and attracted famous ringers from afar to ring in peals with them.

By the early 1960’s the only survivor of the 1930’s Woburn band was Douglas Harris, who by this time was in his late eighties. There was a tradition of ringing an annual peal of London to mark Douglas’s birthday in March of each year and Stephen had the invitation to organise the band each time. A photograph (kindly supplied to me by Stephen Stanford/Chris Pickford) of the band that rang a peal at Woburn for the 90th birthday in 1965, shows four ringers each from Bedfordshire and neighbouring Hertfordshire, several of whom are thankfully still with us. I was privileged to be asked to ring in the peal for his 91st birthday in 1966 which I think was the last before his death. It was shortly after this peal that Stephen asked me to accompany him on a visit to see Douglas in a nursing home at Ampthill. I remember the conversation between the two men was mainly on ‘who was who’ in the old Woburn band, and of their mutual love of London Surprise Major.

Nothing gave Stephen greater pleasure than to call someone’s first peal of London. Like the ritual that Rod Pipe tells of Norman Goodman congratulating the first pealer in the method in Birmingham, Stephen would say that it was a really great achievement and one to be remembered. In his composing I also recall him telling me of the struggle he had in resisting the use of singles in peals of London, as if it was too easy and lacked the discipline of bobs only compositions.

Rod reminds us of Stephen’s tremendous achievement in matching Bill Pye’s record for conducting the most peals of London, and I wonder if he unintentionally set another record, which no ringer has ever surpassed, in calling ‘Holts Original’ more than anyone else. Stephen seemed to be able to call this composition virtually at the drop of a hat; perhaps those who have access to his peal records can confirm this feat?

I am old enough to confess to advancing years and I posses what must now be classed as a vintage recording. I made it back in 1964 of part of the first ever peal of London Surprise Major with singles used in the composition, conducted by Stephen. It was composition No.15 and, as detailed on page 15 of Stephen’s book, was first rung at Dunstable on 26/12/1964. I am willing to make this available to the ringing community at large to share this in Stephen’s memory if they wish. There is also available part of a half muffed peal of Grandsire Triples on the back eight at St Paul’s Bedford recorded in early 1965, in memory of Sir Winston Churchill, with Stephen calling ‘Holts Original’ (of course!), which could be added to a CD to those who express interest to me at this address.

As the foot note in a recent peal rung on one of the tens at Oxford that had been restored by Stephen rightly stated: – In Memory of Stephen Ivin ‘one of the true greats of the Exercise’.

 

Roger Baldwin

Handbell Ringing

Kath and I first met Stephen in 1956. We were staying in Bedfordshire and he invited us back to his home in Houghton Conquest to ring a handbell peal, his first. It was just before he went to Oxford as a Scholar, and he was busy making his own gown, no mean task, and typical of how versatile he was. We scored the peal, of course, Plain Bob Minor. He said never again!

The next one with us was London Surprise Major at Bushey in 1965, followed by Bristol Surprise Major a few weeks later, and then two of London conducted by him. There were two further main periods with the Watford band from 1971 to 1973, and again from 1977 to 1979. During this time he rang many peals of London Major and Royal and Bristol Major and Royal; peals of Spliced Surprise Major (up to 12 methods) and Royal (up to 22 methods), Stedman Caters and Cinques, Bristol Maximus, Wimborne Surprise Royal, and a variety of Surprise Major methods.

One of his last peals was Holts Original which he called in 1975, one of his specialities, and his last handbell peal was, of course, London Surprise Major.

Stephen enjoyed ringing one of the fixed pairs, and was very good at it, an accurate striker and method ringer, and a good person to have around in a crisis. He was also excellent company, and would entertain us with his views on a variety of topics which had captured his interest, especially the tuning and hanging of bells, and of course the merits of different bells and ringers.

Stephen Ivin as a composer

Stephen is best remembered for his 5008 of Bristol Surprise Major, and his many peals of London Surprise Major. However, in his early days he was one of the foremost composers of his day, with compositions in a variety of Surprise Major methods. He was an early pioneer of the combination roll up, if not the inventor, and he brought new insights to both new and more familiar methods. All of this was before the days of computers, and Singles were frowned upon, so tackling methods with tricky falseness was a challenge. However, he did open up new possibilities in London with his pioneering peal using s3, s5, leaving to others to develop this area, and he was quick to recognise the wider potential of the use of Singles when he was the first to call Michael Bruce’s revolutionary composition of Yorkshire Surprise Major using singles to incorporate the 65 courses. Stephen also composed many peals of London Royal and Bristol Royal. Most of these remain unpublished, because he thought them to trivial I think.

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Frank Rivett

Stephen fired my ambitions in ringing from the first time I met him – a Sunday morning circa 1957/8, dressed in the uniform of the day (white shirt, grey flannels, black shoes), a visiting group of young ringers with perfectly struck London Major on the super bells at Bromham – this is what ringing is all about. After conducting the first peal for me and my sister Katie in 1959 he continued to inspire us through his leadership at Bedford, the ease of his tenor ringing on the back eight, his conducting skills, his organisational ability, his skill at composition, his friendliness – the list is endless. Steve was a perfectionist and most who rang with him will have been on the receiving end of caustic comments or bellows at some time or another, I was no exception, but he never took the matter out of the tower – the standard of ringing with Stephen in the band was always good, if it was getting bad it was stopped! He inspired many including me and my sister Katie, creating ringing opportunities for us that would otherwise not have been there and conducted or was instrumental in my first peals of Minor, Triples, Major, Caters, Royal and Maximus. It is a privilege to have been associated with him and to have learnt most of my early change ringing through his efforts.

Other memories of Stephen:

Bromham, one Sunday morning ringing circa 1957/58. Impressionable young learner on bench, eyes open wide. Entourage of ringers on a grab, including Stephen down from college; white shirts, grey trousers, black shoes. London Major perfectly struck – this must be what ringing is all about!

Moving away from Bedford in 1973 I was involved in work, ringing in the ODG around Reading, family, then divorce and a new partnership, and rang only 7 peals with Steve over the last 37 years. I last saw Stephen after the long peal of London Royal at St Thomas in 2007 when his first comment was “you lot took your time” – four and a half peals at an average speed of about 2h 50m! The bells were perfection to ring on, we were warned not to “piss on the floor”, and he recorded all 23320 changes. And then he was embarrassed when we insisted on paying more than £1 a head peal fee! Stephen was most certainly my change ringing mentor and inspiration from the late 50s. He conducted or was instrumental in my first peals on 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 12, but I never attempted a peal of doubles with him – did anyone? His standards were sometimes higher than we could attain, but standards that many of us would often welcome today; how many peals have we rung in and said to ourselves “why are we still ringing”. It is a privilege to have been associated with Stephen and to have learnt most of my early change ringing through his efforts.

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Philip Jewell

Others have written of Stephen Ivin’s ringing prowess, of his fiery temper and his generosity with time and money; he spent countless hours on the Henlow augmentation – in the belfry, poring over plans and costings, and setting up the loans.

I would like to add a couple of examples of the witty comments that made time in his company such fun. As a youngster I found myself sitting at the same table as Steve in a disappointing teashop in Essex on a Biggleswade District outing. He delivered a withering monologue worthy of John Cleese, pointing out the shortcomings of the tea, to the amusement of everyone except the hapless proprietor. We were once at a Bedfordshire Association meeting when someone was being elected following a peal at Linslade, which in those days were hard work and unrewarding. The proposer suggested rather grandly that ringing a peal at Linslade was indicative of the candidates ringing prowess. As quick as a flash Steve commented very loudly that it didn’t say much for his sanity. In the middle of a really good peal of Stedman Cinques at Bedford he suddenly called out “Three cheers for Fabian”! Ringing with Steve Ivin was never dull!

Unlike some others who have written so fondly of Steve, I can’t remember the first time I met him but I can remember to last time very clearly. He joined the Henlow ringers on their annual tour to Oxford and sat with David Hope, Heather and me in a pub garden at Hook Norton reminiscing fondly about his Bedfordshire roots – places, peals but most especially, people.

 

Mark Regan

Stephen Ivin was terrifying and inspiring. Ringing at St Paul’s Bedford in the early 1970s was special. As an enthusiastic youngster I was fortunate to ring there and come under Stephen’s tutelage. There were ten bells, they rang peals of Surprise Royal and Stephen was in charge. The reputation, the expectations, the stories and the standards made it ‘the place’ to ring. I went there barely able to ring the treble to Bob Doubles, however, Stephen took an interest in me and within a few months I rang a peal of Cambridge Royal. Stephen was enormously generous and kind to a group of youngsters whom he encouraged and cajoled into semi decent ringers. What fun we had, especially the evening beers at the White Horse with grown up members of the band.

Stephen’s legacy is awesome. Appropriately he conducted more peals of London Major than Bill Pye and his canon of compositions for this super method is a tribute to his formidable intellect. The augmentation at Bedford; and in Oxford, the rehanging at Lincoln, the stunning new ten at St Thomas’ and the augmentation at Mary Mag (a tribute to his friend Peter Border) are just a few examples of what Stephen did and gave to the Exercise. His knowledge of tuning and hanging helped many ringers embarking on new bell projects.

The last time we met, though very ill, Stephen was full of enthusiasm and wry observations. Avril was at his side and the strength of their marriage was as evident as it always had been. Stephen wasn’t quite so terrifying, though he was still very inspiring. And I’ll always remember that lingering smell of pipe tobacco.

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