Hear Shipham's bells as broadcast on BBC Radio. Click on the link below
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07z3fjm RINGING Contrary to popular belief, the ringing of church bells does not require great strength and we do not swing about wildly on the end of our ropes! Ringing is a very precise hobby which takes great concentration and many hours of practice. You will need to develop a neat and tidy style, quick responses and good control in order to strike your bell in the correct place. However, ringing your first ‘rounds’ with the rest of the ‘band’ is the first step into a whole new world. Now you can walk into any tower and immediately find a whole group of new friends with a common interest. Finally, your mind will be kept active, your body fit and your sense of humour challenged!!! If you can ride a bike and laugh at yourself then ringing is for you!!!
Ringing on our outing in 2011
At Shipham we meet once a week on Tuesday evening for a practice, ring for Sunday services and some weddings. Once a month our more experienced ringers attempt a Quarter Peal (40 minutes ringing without a mistake!). Our visits to other towers to meet their ringers and try their bells are great fun and sometimes we have visitors at Shipham too. Taking part in ringing competitions is a real challenge to our team work abilities, and our annual outing is an extravaganza of ringing and eating!!
See our entry under Clubs and Societies
A BRIEF HISTORY Church bells are made from an alloy of copper and tin (bronze) and can weigh anything from a few cwt up to several tons. The tenor (heaviest bell) at Shipham weighs 6cwt whereas the tenor at Wells Cathedral weighs 56cwt! Over the last 400 years the ringing of church bells has changed considerably; from the striking of a static bell with a moving clapper to the swinging of bells in a full circle by use of a wheel, rope, stay and slider. The ringers of today have such accurate control over the speed at which their bells ring that all kinds of complex ‘changes’ are now possible. Early changes involved a ‘conductor’ calling out each new order, but ringers were soon experimenting with set patterns (called ‘methods’) which could be learnt in advance. Today there are literally thousands of different methods but the early favourites of Stedman and Grandsire are still the most popular even today. Today the ringing of church bells involves a wide variety of skills, providing us with physical, mental and social challenges. The following excerpt from a ringers’ prayer sums it up perfectly: As we ring our bells We co-ordinate Our bodies and minds, Keeping time And controlling our bells And our concentration Takes away our Anxieties and worries
| THE RINGERS
| THE BELLS
The bells re-installed at Shipham
Friends from local towers
join us on our outing
|
Bell-Ringing
Bell-Ringing at Shipham