According to The Venerable Bede’s history there was a settlement here called Loidis .  Today it is called LEEDS and is the third largest city in the country after London and Birmingham.  The city sits at the bottom of the eastern edge of the Pennines by the River Aire. The earliest evidence of a church dates back to the 7th C  and in more recent times a stone church was built.  However, the city grew so rapidly it was felt the church was not large enough to hold the growing population so a new building was constructed in 1838 and became a Minster in 2012.  To complete this much grander building a ring of 13 bells was cast and installed in 1842 and they will be ringing out across Yorkshire to cheer on ST. GEORGE.

South of Nottingham is the village of BARTON IN FABIS which lies near the River Trent.  It used to have a ferry that took villages across the river to Attenborough but sadly this was discontinued in the 1960s.  Inspite of being a small village it has a special church ST. GEORGEs which dates from the 14th C and is Grade I listed.  Its tower houses 6 bells and its wonderful ringers will be joining the county’s other churches and will ring out celebrating England’s day on April 23rd.

As a city BLACKBURN owes its status to the growth of the textile industry and was a very important center of the Industrial Revolution.  James Hargreaves was a weaver in the city and went on to be the inventor of ‘the spinning jenny’ .  However, its history goes back much further when a church was established during the reign of Ethelred the Unready (978).  Then the Saxons mention its people as being mighty brave as they repulsed Danish invaders.  Later, during the reign of Edward the Confessor (1042), the church become dedicated to St. Mary but had also earned the sobriquet of  ‘the Inn of the Lord’ .  Today the present building was rebuilt in the Georgian style in 1818 and its unique Lantern Tower completed in 1977.  It became a cathedral in 1926 and it will honour  ST.GEORGE by ringing out on April 23rd with its 10 great bells.

The name BIRMINGHAM derives from the Old English word for the Anglican Tribe of Beormingas.  The city grew and grew and soon became not only the heart of the Industrial Revolution but also a center of The Enlightenment which continues today with its world renowned Centers of the Arts. The building of St. Philip in the English Baroque style notable for its dome began in 1715 and halted when funds dried up.  It was King George Ist that donated the remainder and helped complete the church to which a tower was added. It became a cathedral in 1905 and is now  Grade 1 listed with stunning stained glass windows by Burne-Jones that were saved from the bombs when taken into safety by the Civic Society.  Its tower originally had 8 bells, then 10 and then sadly went silent.  It was the Coronation of 1937 that drove the city into installing a refurbished tower and a new ring of 12 which will be ringing across England’s second city for ST. GEORGE.

The first known church on this site was some 800 years ago and over the centuries was rebuilt using stone. The earliest record of a town sited here was in the Roman era and called Caesaromagus  meaning ‘Caesar’s Market Place’ but sadly this faded away with the exodus of the Romans.  It was slowly reborn and by the Middle Ages CHELMSFORD was mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1086 and thrived as a market town once again, helped by the building of a bridge over the River Can in 1100.   Its church was promoted to being a Cathedral when a new diocese was created in 1914 and its ring of 12 bells will be heard loud and clear across the county of Essex for ST GEORGE’S Day.

The city of CHESTER was founded by the Romans in 75AD. There had always been some form of church on this site and in 907AD King Alfred’s daughter, Queen Ethelfelda, decided to build a more substantial building in which to create her own mausoleum. Hugh Lupus is next on the scene as the nephew of William the Conqueror who gave him the title of Earl of Chester and he built a monastery in 1092 choosing the Romanesque style that was then in vogue.  This was soon thought outdated and so rebuilding took place in the early 14th C in the more modern Gothic style. Then came the dissolution of the monasteries and Chester escaped through an extraordinary change of heart by Henry VIII who decided to give it back to the city and so a Diocese and Cathedral of Chester was created.  Over the years a series of refurbishment took place until in 1975 an external tower was built to house 12 bells and these bells will be ringing out for ST. GEORGE.

St. Nicholas is the Patron Saint of sailors and boats which is why it has the dedication of NEWCASTLE Cathedral as it sits above the Tyne river guarding the country from northern invaders from both land and sea. The Romans built a fort to protect the river crossing from the Scots.  Later William I’s eldest son Robert Curthose was sent north to strengthen the borders and in 1080 he build a castle naming it : New Castle upon Tyne, Hence the naming of the city.  Later on in 1172 King Henry II added a stone keep which sadly is all that remains of the original castle.  The church became a cathedral in 1882 with its very special lantern tower built in 1448.  It contains a ring of 12 bells one of which is named St. Nicholas’ and they will be ringing their hearts out in the heart of the city with a PEAL in celebration of ST. GEORGE.

There are records of a church having been here since 1180 on land granted by the founder of the city of PORTSMOUTH – Jean de Gisons, a wealthy Norman merchant.  In 1194 King Richard I seized the city from de Gisons and claimed Portsmouth for the Crown acknowledging its strategic importance to the nation.  It was here in 1591 that Queen Elizabeth I worshipped  while on a journey through the area.  In 1642 the building was bombarded by the Parliamentary army during the Civil War and through taxes imposed on other churches Charles II raised funds for its restoration.  The present building became a Cathedral dedicated to St.Thomas in 1932 and continues its connection to Royalty and The Royal Navy.  For years it had a ring of just 10 bells and happily for its enthusiastic ringers it has been promoted to magnificent 12 that will ring out across the seas to celebrate ST.GEORGE.

Easton in Gordano  in northern Somerset is a village originally known as Enstone and then for centuries ST. GEORGE so the links with England’s saint go back in history.  Indeed today their thriving football club is also called St.George whose playing fields lie beside the church which is dedicated to ST.GEORGE and mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1085.  This important building is designated Grade II listed by English Heritage and its bell ringers will be trying for a PEAL so all bodes well within this community for a spectacular April 23rd.

The city of DERBY lies on the banks of the River Derwent.  Its original church was said to have been founded by King Edmund 1 around 943AD. In the 14C it was replaced by a more substantial building but this too suffered from damage and was eventually pulled down.  What exists today is the later structure built in 1785 but incorporating the original Tower of the 1530s.  It is dedicated to All Saints and has 10 very special bells.  It is claimed they are THE OLDEST RING OF 10 BELLS IN THE WORLD.  The largest weighs 19cwt and is nearly 500 years old! And these magnificent bells will be ringing out across the land to remind everyone that April 23rd is ST.GEORGE’S day.