The Bells Are Ringing

Finding out about ringing

In the long term we hope that this page may allow you to enter where you are and will then direct you to information about ringing performances that are near to you, but that is not yet possible. In the meanwhile there are other ways that you may be able to find out about the ringing that you hear:

• There are often details outside the church – on a notice board, in the porch or by the by the tower entrance.
• There may be an extra notice outside during a special performance (why, what and for how long).
• There may be a tower website. Try searching for the name of the church and town with ‘bell’ and ’ringing’ in your search.
• Most ringing societies have a website. They cover the UK other countries with English style ringing. Most have contact details (and web links) for towers in their area. If you can’t contact the tower try the secretary of the local society (or district).
• There is a list of affiliated ringing societies.

English style ringing

English style ringing  is 'full circle ringing' (where the bells swing through a full 360°). It is heard in England, the rest of the British Isles, the Commonwealth and the USA. The bells form a diatonic scale, with 6 or 8 being most common, but rings of 4, 5,10 & 12 bells are quite widespread, and a few towers have 14 or 16 bells. (Image courtesy of Fortran Friends)
 

All towers with bells hung for English style ringing are listed in Dove’s Guide.

What it sounds like

The bells are rung in orderly sequences with a nominally constant rhythm. Each bell strikes roughly every two seconds (so with six bells you hear~3 blows per second, with eight bells there will be ~4 blows per second, and so on).
 

There are several distinct audible patterns of English style ringing:

	Description	Listen / watch
Rounds	The sequence of notes cascades repeatedly down the scale. Ringing starts and ends with Rounds.	Rounds on 8 bells
Called changes	The sequence of notes changes periodically.
Method ringing	The sequence of notes changes all the time.	On 12 bells, showing bells from above   On 6 bells, showing ringers in action
Raising in peal	(At start of session) ringing in sequence down the scale and gets progressively slower over a few minutes. Takes bells from safe position (mouth-down) to to the mouth-up ready e position, by swinging them through progressively larger angles, position ready for use	Raising in peal (8 bells)
Lowering in peal	(At end of session) reverse of above to return bells to their safe position. The ringing gets quicker over several minutes and then stops after a pause and one final sequence.	Lowering in peal (8 bells)
Half muffled ringing	Alternate sequences are loud and soft. A solemn, dignified sound used for occasions like remembrance and funerals.	Half muffled ringing
Devon style ringing	Specialised style of ringing heard mainly in Devon. The ringing doesn't have the characteristic pause every other sequence that is heard in most English style ringing. Performances normally include raising in peal, ringing called changes and then lowering in peal, without stopping.	North Devon Bellringing Mashup

As well as hearing bells ringing in a tower, you may occasionally see them being rung outside in a mobile belfry. Listen / watch .

In English churches a single bell is often chimed for a few minutes before a service, either because they do not have a ring of English style bells or because for that service there are no bellringers present with the skills for full circle ringing. If you hear a single bell being rung over an extended period with occasional stops and starts it may be a novice ringer being trained. Normally the bells are silenced or quietened for such training, but not always.

For more information about English style ringing, see Discover Bellringing  . Central Council fo Church Bell Ringers  Here is some typical English style ringing 

Reasons for ringing

English style ringing is either:

• General ringing – Several short pieces last a few minutes each with gaps in between. There are normally more ringers than bells at such sessions, with ringers taking turns to ring.
• A special performance – A a long period of continuous ringing. Typical lengths are: Quarter peal 45 minutes, Date touch 1 hour 15 minutes, Peal 3 hours. The same ringer rings each bell throughout.

Bells are rung for many reasons – routine or special, sacred or secular. Here are the most common:

Reason	Description	Typical times	Typical duration	Comment
Regular church services	Ringing before one or more service each Sunday	Varies between churches. Morning is more common	20 - 60 minutes	May not be every week
Special church services	Ringing before other occasional services	May be any time	As above	Christmas and some other festivals that fall midweek
Weddings	Ringing after (and sometimes before) a church wedding.	During the day. Saturday more common. Summer more common	15 - 30 minutes	May be several a day at popular churches in summer.
National or local event	Ringing to mark important events. General ringing or special performance. (See above)	Any time. More likely evening or weekend	Varies	May be coordinated across the country. See: examples
Recreation	Peal, quarter peal or other special performance	Any time. Often evening or weekend	Quarter peal ¾ - 1 hour. Peal ~3 hours
Local practices	Regular practice by ringers based at a tower	Usually a weekday evening	1 – 2 hours of general ringing	Quality may be lower than for performances
District practices or meeting	Periodic joint practice by ringers in an area	Any time. Often Saturday. May be any day.	Usually 1 to 3 hours. May be afternoon & evening with tea between.	Often at a different tower each month
Ringing outings	Group of ringers travel between several towers, ringing at each.	Any time during the day. Mostly Saturday. May be any day.	30 mins to 1 hour at each tower	More often in the summer
Striking competitions	Teams meet to compete on quality of ringing	Occasional. Usually Saturday. May be any time	3 to 10 teams. Each typically ringing a 10-15 minute test piece preceded by familiarisation.	You may see groups of ringers outside listening to the team that is ringing