St Faith’s Guild of Bell Ringers

Summary of the art of bell ringing

Bells in church towers have been used in this country to summon worshipers, celebrate occasions and to announce deaths and danger since the 8th century, having been introduced in Italy 300 years before.

In these early days the bells themselves and they way they were rung was very simplistic.

Over the centuries bell making and hanging techniques improved with the culmination in the late 16th and early 17th centuries of Change Ringing. This involves the creation of a frame in the tower with the bells attached to wheels and the wheels to the frame. When a rope is attached to the wheel it allows the bell to be rung “full circle”. With the correct technique a bell can be made to ring on demand as the wheel transits through 360 degrees in one direction and then back in the opposite direction. These two directions are called the hand and back stroke.

With this level of control available to the skilled and experienced ringer, the possibility of creating musical patterns by changing the order of ringers had arrived. This led to the creation of literally thousands of combinations called methods. These are both musical and mathematical in nature. At St Faith’s a number of “full peals” have been completed. These take a pattern which is changed 5040 times to complete a full extent of the feasible combinations and takes about 2 hours and 45 minutes. They represent a significant commitment of physical and mental endurance.

As well as providing a service to the church, local community, taking part in nationally important events, bell ringing has some advantages for the ringer.

It helps to maintain a good level of physical fitness. You don’t need to be a marathon runner or weight lifter, but climbing the stairs to the tower and then coordinating the pulling of the ropes in time with others are good low impact exercise.

The concentration and memory needed to ring more advanced methods are great exercise for the brain. As well as the satisfaction of ringing for yourself, it is a team sport so the added pressure of not wanting to make a mistake that impacts your colleagues helps to keep focus.

When first learning to ring it can seem quite daunting. In many ways it is similar to learning to drive. Initially every aspect requires huge concentration, but as time passes and experience is gained, they become second nature.

Practices take place at St Faith’s on Thursday evenings during the spring, summer and autumn and afternoons during winter. If you are interested in finding out more, please contact the church office and someone will be in touch to organise a visit.