At that welcome sound the children are allowed to leave school
for the day, the shops are closed, and a general holiday is observed in
the town. The work bell is rung every morning from 5.55 to 6.0, and from
6.0 to 6.5 every evening from March to November, and the bells are rung
backwards to call out the fire brigade. The curious little fire-engine
upon which the town used to rely is still preserved in a shed in
Willowgate. It is one of those primitive little contrivances standing on
very small solid wheels, suggesting those of a child's toy horse.
Until the restoration of the church the pulpit was of the two-decker type,
the clerk's desk being under the pulpit, with the reading-desk at the
side. The inlaid sounding-board which was taken out of the church at the
restoration is now preserved in the vicarage. It was in these days, namely
about thirty years ago, that the sexton and his deputy used to visit the
public-houses during church time in order to fetch out those who were
wasting the precious hours. At Christmas time the waits still enliven the
early hours with their welcomes to each individual member of every family.
The two men, whose names are Beavers and Stockdale, carry a concertina and
greet the household after this well-known fashion, "Drawing to -----
o'clock and a fine frosty morning. Good morrow morning, Mr -----. Good
morrow morning, Mrs -----," and so through the entire family. This process
commences a week before Christmas and is continued until a week
afterwards.
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