LETTER: Come and meet bell-ringers

Some facts from the past take time to be revealed.
Keyboard SUS-160615-124004001Keyboard SUS-160615-124004001
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Having taken up bell-ringing there is one particular website, ‘Bangthestay’, that arrived at my computer.

Well actually, our tower captain Matt Jones pointed me in the direction of this website that he had just developed; well, sadly, I was the bell-ringer that not only banged the stay but managed to break it with uncontrollable bell-rope manifestations.

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Matt’s website informed me that in the last war Hitler and the Nazis melted down 150,000 continental bells to provide munitions for his war effort, whereas no bells were ever destroyed in Britain.

I think only a few of your readers will realise the magnitude of these actions.

Every time we hear the tunes of the bells for weddings, for church services, indeed even for funerals, the process is achieved by what is called ‘Change-ringing’. This is unique to Britain. Nowhere on the continent do they do Change-ringing as we do here in Britain; well, if they melt down their bells to make armaments then the progression of bell-ringing will obviously be inhibited.

Yes, on the continent, they toll their bells but they do not ring them as we do here in the UK to enable different tunes by physically pulling on the rope.

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I have only been ringing for two years but I challenge anyone to try this very demanding physical and social challenge. We have vacancies for anyone that wants to step up to the challenge at Ashburnham church where we have six bells, some of which date back to the 16th Century.

It’s not all pulling ropes; we have dinners, quizzes, weddings quite apart from the social evenings of practising. Ring 01424 893922 or 01424 892381 if you would like to come along and enjoy an exceptional experience.

Incidentally, the ‘stay’ is the piece of wood in the belfry that stops the bell rotating in excess of 360 degrees.

If you fancy a climb up a narrow, medieval, spiral stone staircase then come and see our six stays with our six bells and meet our small team of ringers.

Tony Smith

Brownbread Stud

Ashburnham

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