Tag Archives: bellringing

Isle of Dogs simulator on BBC Click programme

A few weeks ago a crew from BBC’s click programme came to Christchurch to find out more about how we are using the latest release of the Abel simulator software to teach people to ring. This has moving video images of real ringers, so our new ringers can practice ringing in time with an electronic band of ringers, rather than real ringers.

They tell us that it’s less embarrassing than making mistakes ringing with real people, and we can be much more flexible in fixing up practice sessions, so our new ringers learn more quickly.

The BBC have told us that a radio version of the programme will be broadcast on BBBC World Service on Tuesday 6th January at 19.32. It will be repeated on Wednesday 7th January at 00.32; 04.32 and 13.42 GMT. It can also be downloaded as a podcast afterwards from –  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p002w6r2/episodes/player

The producers have not yet scheduled the Television version of the programme, which will be shown on various BBC channels. We will let you know, once we know.

An article about the software was also published in The Ringing World magazine and is downloadable below from the following link: Ringing World article

Screenshot of Abel

Screenshot of Abel

Chris Hughes the author of the Abel software

Chris Hughes the author of the Abel software

Jinny Kuffluk, Graham Long and Chris Hughes ringing up ready to be filmed for TV

Jinny Kuffluk, Graham Long and Chris Hughes ringing up ready to be filmed for TV

Ringing the changes at St Mary Magdalen Bermondsey

St Mary Magdalen before 1828

St Mary Magdalen before 1828 (above) and today (below).

St Mary Magdalen today

This Saturday, 20th September, the sound of Church bells ringing the changes will be heard again for the first time in over 180 years at St Mary Magdalen Church at the corner of Tower Bridge Road and Abbey Street in Bermondsey. Bellringers from the daughter church of St James’ will erect a mobile belfry in the churchyard at St Mary Magdalen as part of the Bermondsey Street Festival, between 12.00 and 4.00pm.

Parts of the tower at St Mary Magdalen date back to 1290, and there are records of 14 peals being rung on the bells hung in the tower. The first was 10,080 changes of Plain Bob Major rung by the College Youths on 18th May 1728. This was one of the very earliest peals rung anywhere.  The first ever peal was rung in Norwich less than 10 years before.

Whilst the bells at St Mary Magdalen played an important role in the development of change-ringing, in 1828 the top half of the tower at St Mary Magdalen was demolished and its bells were melted down.

On Saturday the band from St James’ will be bringing the Charmborough Ring, a mobile bell tower for the day and demonstrating the art of ringing the changes. There will also be the opportunity for members of the public to have a go.

St James has a peal of eight bells and an active team of ringers, although their leader Roger Booth say that they could always do with a few more ringers. The team also mans the ropes at nearby St Mary’s Church in Rotherhithe and is offering would be ringers an intensive series of lessons so that people could learn the basics in a week, and then join in with the rest of the team at their regular weekly practice sessions at St James’ at 7.30pm on Tuesday evenings.

St Peter’s Day at Walworth

It was such a treat to have the bells ringing out so beautifully for St Peter’s Day on Sunday – thanks so much to you and the team! It really made a difference to the festive feel of the day, and I hope really did alert parishioners to the significance of the day and indeed of the procession making its way around the parish. It’d be lovely to combine again at some point. With joy,

Father Andrew Moughtin-Mumby
Rector of St Peter’s, Walworth
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On Sunday 29th June, there was a large congregation to hear the bells, as we attempted a quarter peal of Plain Bob Minor as the procession left the church after the festival mass. Eva was ringing the treble, and it would have been Eva’s first of minor, also Drew’s who was ringing the 5th. As St Peter’s are so light and manageable, you are able to do things which would not be possible on heavier rings of bells.

The ringing soon settled down, but we lost the quarter after about 300 changes as two bells crossed over. We did try again, but as often happens, the ringing the second time was not as good, so we decided to ring the bells down after about half an hour’s ringing. Never the less the parish appreciated their bells being rung, especially as nowadays they are rarely rung, and not on Sundays. It was also good to probe the boundaries, and certainly the band could have scored a quarter. It shows that we can move on to ring more minor, rather than so much doubles.

Reading the plaque in the ringing room, it was also the 13th anniversary to the day of the completion of the restoration and the bells being dedicated, so perhaps there will be better luck next time!

Walworth

Spring clean at Isle of Dogs

Thanks to a lot of hard work on Saturday morning, particularly from Mickey Etches, we have managed to clear a bag full of dust and other debris from the base of the spire, the belfry and the clock-room. Nuts and bolts have been tightened and our CCTV camera above the bells is working again, as is the doorbell. This means that we can leave the door locked, and when you come to Christchurch you can ring the doorbell and we will be able to come down and let you in. The door is the main South door immediately underneath the tower, off Glenaffric Avenue, and the bell push is on the right hand side.

We have now started practicing at Christchurch on Wednesday evenings from 7.00 till 9.00, although at the moment we are mainly teaching people to handle a bell on their own. There will be a break on 23rd and 30th July for the summer holidays, but otherwise we should be there most weeks. Anyone who wants to learn to handle is welcome.

We also plan to teach bell handling on other evenings, by appointment. As the band grows we will also arrange some Saturday morning training sessions at Christchurch, probably from mid-August onwards, to get everyone ringing rounds, hopefully by mid September. We can then start thinking about ringing the bells on Sundays.

On Wednesday evenings there is usually a Mass between 7.15 and 8.00pm at Christchurch, and we have installed an electronic simulator system, the same as the one at Rotherhithe, which means that we can ring the bells without making a noise outside. So even if you cannot hear anything, please ring the doorbell and come up.

The advantage of Wednesdays is that the Meridian Ringers practice between 8.00 and 9.30pm at Greenwich, which is only 15 minutes walk away through the foot tunnel, or one stop on the DLR. Therefore if we meet short, or our new ringers want some extra practice, we can always go across the river.

I am currently trying to find enough people to help use a Mobile Belfry for the Christchurch Fete on Sunday 13th July. If you have not spoken to me about this, and would like to help, and perhaps try to recruit a few more ringers, please get in touch. You can see what the belfry looks like on this video:

and how it erected on this one:

Roger
07411 181 583

Bellringing: It’s harder than it looks

Some of you will have met Adam Bacon, who Rob Parker has been teaching to ring at Bermondsey.

Adam has produced a video which shows how media personality Ant Smith learnt to ring rounds with 13 hours intensive tuition over a period of four weeks, coordinated by Deborah Thorley.

Ant had the objective of ringing on twelve at Bradford Cathedral, and although his 12 bell striking was not up to much, he did a creditable job of ringing on six bells. This just shows what can be achieved in a relatively short space of time, and this video is perhaps something that can be used to inspire other beginners.