Sunday service band ringing rounds on twelve prior to a touch of Cambridge S. Maximus. Bells are 1 to 12 clockwise with the tenor (No.12) in the top right and the fifth in the centre.
Simon I love modern peals, the best sounding peal in the world is York Minster but you know I am old enough to realise that some older peals are special. Being a Londoner now living in Sydney for the past 40 years I realise that St Pauls IS LONDON to me, it is the sound of home. I love Bow because the old man hung them with Bill Theobald but to many memories of the old ASCY ringers at st Pauls who were my dads' peers. Enough to bring tears to my eyes for sure
Steven, glad you and I share the same opinion. I love these bells - one of THE sounds of the London - and with so much character, who wants another bland modern ring?
These bells might sound like scaffold poles or buckets, and yes Taylors could recast them simpson tuning, but that would be sacrilegious These bells are without a doubt the sound of LONDON the sound of home to a pommy living in Aus. Whilst I consider the finest bells in the world to be York Minster, the bells are just LONDON to change them would break my heart. Gawd Bless ya Guvnor.
@LauraBellringer Heard these in the flesh often, they are magnificent and characterful in my opinion, one of THE sounds of London!! Wouldnt mind a grab here myself!! Supposed to be very long draught and difficult but oh well!! When we went to London for weekends we used to stay in a Youth Hostel which used to be the old Choir School, you can hear the clock chiming through the night from the bedrooms!!! "o"
@porlawright The bells are arranged in the tower as a square because it is usually the only way to fit them in. The ropes are in a circle so that every ringer can see every other ringer (you usually need to to ring methods). The ropes come through the floor of the bell chamber in something like a square (depending on how the bells are arranged) but as the ropes pass through the middle room they are guided to their positions in the circle. Any more questions, write to me. TBAW
@MrEhemaliger This is typical English ringing, although because this is a cathedral the bells here are heavier than in normal churches. In italy there are numerous ways of ringing bells, I do not know what you mean buy the classical way.
@LottieBTS I live in Malvern and ring at both towers there. I rarely go to Worcester because I don't have a car and cathedral practice is the same night as my nearest tower. I've only rung at Liverpool once but I got to ring the tenor and had a great time.
Hi Dani, no there aren't brakes as you would have in a car but the wooden post that sticks up from the top of each bell (the stay) has a slider which it can rest against. When the bell is vertical the stay pushes the slider across to a stop and you can rest the bell just past the vertical. A little push away from the stop would set it swinging again. When we ring we try never to touch the slider as too big an impact will snap the stay off! Hope this answers your question. TBAW
One of these days, the folks at St. Paul's cathedral (London) should repair the ringing mechanism for their bourdon (Great Paul), so that we can all hear that magnificent bell again.
@simonbellringer can't make out how you can think they aren't buckets! Buckets I quite like, but still can't help feeling that the cathedral of our capital should have a first-rate set.
@lunaticonthegrass111 considering the bells are about 120 DBa where the camera was, it's impressive that it's not just recorded white noise. When you're up there the power goes right through you. A camera microphone and speakers (especially computer ones) can't get close to doing these bells justice. TBAW
@KDowner94 Looking at some still pics I took at the same time I think that it is on ball races, but the housing is fairly old so I'm not sure. The rest are on races so it's probable that 5 is too.
Hi, we had a tour of the north west tower a couple of years ago with Phil Rogers. My son is 6 and bell crazy. He's just asked me this - the sallies in st paul's were arranged in a circle (as most are) but when in the tower the bells are arranged in a square. Can you help him here?
@timmeh1507 They may be buckets to many, listening back 7 months after my original comment then I must admit they do sound a bit buckety. They may not be the best sounding ring ever, but they are so characterful, and one of THE sounds of London... if Taylor's cast a similar sounding peal without the bucketyness today then I am sure they'd be first class!!
hi how many bells are in this tower last i herd it was 14 and ive herd it some churches if you get get married or have a funeral in a church you can have a memorial bell in the tower?.
@simonbellringer they sound like a bunch of scaffold poles - and buckety too. London's been doing so much withs its bells recently - Magnus Martyr, Katherine Cree - why on earth dont they get these old pots replaced
@LottieBTS I'm not on face book, too much else to do! Gmail me; droskelly at .... .com When is the next open practice at Liverpool, I should go back some time!
@KDowner94 WEll, I think were going to have to agree to disagree on this one!! I really like these, you dont!! Same with Liverpoool Cathedral, I cant see the point in them, while others love them!! Why, I really don't know, at least you can make out where each bell is strikiing here!! And it's not just one long, monotonous droooooone like Liverpool!..
