Norwich, UK
A peal of bells calling people to church is one of the most iconic sounds found throughout the UK. This Sunday, 14th May, the first ever ‘Bell Sunday‘ will be held in recognition of the role played by bells and bell ringers in church life.
A bell tower on a church in North Yorkshire. PICTURE: iStockphoto.
The date has been chosen as it is Sunday closest to the feast day of St Dunstan, patron saint of bellringers due to his involvement with early bell forging in the 10th century. It is also close to the date of the first ever peal of bells – the ringing of several bells in quick succession – was rung 300 years ago.
“It is hoped the day will raise awareness, emphasise the importance of the sound of bells in our Communities and how it can help bring Church and Community together, strengthening relationships between Clergy and Bellringers,” the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers said in a statement.
Bell Sunday – which it is hoped will become an annual event – is being supported by a variety of resources including bell related hymns, music, and readings which can be used in services. Typical examples include The Bells of Heaven Are Ringing and Ring Out, Wild Bells, To The Wild Sky. Also recommended is the organ music, Carillon de Westminster, a fantasia on the famous Westminster Chimes.
More than 38,000 church bells exist in towers across the country, with new ones still being added. North Moreton All Saints Church, Oxfordshire has just added two more bells to create a peal of eight bells. These two bells will bear the rare royal cypher placed on bells installed during a coronation year.
Bell ringers working on ‘Methods’ by Pablo Valbuena, part of Lumiere Durham 2017, produced by Artichoke and commissioned by Durham County Council. PICTURE: Matthew Andrews
So what makes UK bells so iconic? UK churches usually have several bells tuned to different musical notes. Instead of the rhythmic single ring common found within most churches, UK churches developed a system known as change ringing. Extremely intricate, the bells are rung at specific moments within a long sequence creating peals. The world’s first ever peal was rung at St Peter Mancroft, Norwich.
Simon Rudd, of St Peter Mancroft, said Norwich “was an affluent city so there were people with spare time to devote to ringing”.
“The first full peal was rung on our bells on 2nd May, 1715, and would have been the result of much meticulous preparation. Norwich was the undisputed centre of expertise for change ringing at this time and other ringers across the country might have been striving to be the first, we had the bells, the ringers and the expertise to get there first.”
We rely on our readers to fund Sight's work - become a financial supporter today!
For more information, head to our Subscriber's page.
Since then, change ringing has developed into an art form involving countless intricate musical combinations of bell sounds. In London, a group of churches even have bells that have become a popular children’s rhyme entitled Oranges and lemons say the bells of St Clements.
The bell-ringing platform at Pershore Abbey. PICTURE: Stuart Piper.
Another unique take on change ringing occurred in 2017, during the biannual ‘Lumiere’ festival in Durham when the cathedral bells could be heard ringing both inside and out, with the ringers ringing the bells in real time, matching the light patterns.
Most bells are rung by ropes accessible from a belfry, except at Pershore Abbey where the ringers stand on a suspended cage like platform some 22 metres from the ground. Notorious among bell ringers, it has become a sought after location to try out the bells.
“It’s not easy ringing bells weighing approximately 25 hundred weight from the platform when you cannot see the other ringers easily,” tower captain Stuart Piper comments. “Ringing the bells is my contribution to church life, a form of worship.’
Rev Dr Alan Smith, Bishop of St Albans, expressed hope that “as many towers as possible will join in”.
“There are plans to open up towers to the public, so visitors can watch the bells being run – and perhaps even sign up to learn the ancient art of bell-ringing.”
