Didsbury Bellringers

One of the jobs that falls to the Didsbury ringers is the periodic changing of the St George's flag which flies from the tower. Paul - our steeple keeper - normally performs this task.

The Earl Marshall’s Warrant made on 9 February 1938, laid down that the flag to be flown upon any church within the Provinces of Canterbury and York was “a St George's Cross with the arms of the see (which should not be surmounted by a mitre except when used by the bishop personally) in the first quarter”, that is, the arms of the diocese in the top quarter nearest the mast. The Warrant was endorsed by the two Archbishops at the time and continues to be quoted in legal guidance on the subject, but it is not compulsory. There is however an ancient tradition of churches flying a plain St George Cross as we do at Didsbury.

The flag gets really battered by the English wind and rain and high-quality (and expensive) flags usually last about 6 months before being ripped to shreds by the weather. Cheaper flags typically cost a quarter of the price of the expensive flags and last approximately 3 months.

This picture shows old and new side-by-side and shows what a battering the flag gets