To hear the bells click here.

Not everyone in Redbourn can hear the bells from their home and some may be pleased about this, especially at 9 am on Sunday mornings! If you are one of those that appreciates the sound of bells, you could help to keep this tradition alive in Redbourn by learning to ring. Please contact Pauline Ridgwell on 01582 626055 or Diana Reading on 01582 793772 or come along to one of our practices, held every Tuesday at 8pm.

Click on the pdf link to open the recruitment poster from the Central Council for Church Bell ringers

* poster.pdf:

Introduction to Bellringing

One unique sound of the British countryside is the ringing of church bells which takes place in about 6000 church towers around the country. Only in Britain is change ringing, or the ringing of bells in special sequences, so widely practiced. Bells are an important part of our Church and social history.(See Inscriptions on the Bells ).

To most people, bellringing appears mysterious and highly complicated and in some ways it is, but it can also be fun. (See How to Become A Bellringer. ) Mastering the technique of handling a bell is rather like riding a bicycle, and once you have done it, you never forget. After that it is up to each ringer to decide how deeply involved they want to become with the technicalities.

The Music of Change Ringing

There is a magic about the sound of change ringing that many people recognise but it is very different from the music of Beethoven or the Beatles. A ring of bells is not suited to conventional music because most tower bells are large and heavy. If hung in a carillon, conventional tunes can be played on them by striking the bells with hammers. But when the bells are swung, each acts like a pendulum and for change ringing the bells swing full circle every couple of seconds. The time taken for each swing is adjustable by swinging it a little lower or higher. This is the key to English style ringing, making it possible to ring bells accurately in sequence. The order of the sequence can be changed by varying the speed of the bells, but not by very much because of the physical effort needed.

Rounds is a most basic tune – down the scale. To vary the tune, each bell can change position in the sequence but can only move one place at a time. Each row of bells is called a change.

Hear The Bells

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The Bells at St Marys Church

The original three bells were cast in 1716 and the newer additions were cast in 1770, 1839 and 1875. All of the bells were re-cast in 1953 by Messrs John Taylor and each carries an inscription giving details of who paid for recasting and also historical details taken from the old bells. The newly recast bells were re-hung on a new steel bell frame funded by money collected around the village totalling £1666. The Bishop of St. Albans came to dedicate the bells on 28th March 1953. All the details were recorded in an illuminated book which is still on display in the church.

The smallest bell is called the Treble and weighs about 6 hundredweight (or 672 lbs/305 kg) The largest bell is the Tenor, weighing 15 hundredweight ( or 1680 lbs/ 762 kg) which is roughly the weight of 10 men! Ringing in order from the lightest bell to the heaviest in descending order is called ringing ‘rounds’ and this is how each piece of ringing starts and finishes.

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When do the Bells Ring?

Bells have traditionally been rung as a means of communication, both religious and secular. The main object of ringing is to call people to prayer and for the glory of God.

At St. Mary’s the bells are rung every Sunday morning from 9 – 9.30 am and most Sunday evenings from 6 – 6.30 pm for regular church services. Many couples ask for bells to be rung after their wedding and the Vicar requests bells for special church services. Sometimes there are visiting bellringers from other churches. Very occasionally, a peal will be rung to mark an important event such as the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002. This involves about 3 hours of bellringing and is not for the faint-hearted! On June 2nd, 2003, an attempt to ring a peal to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Coronation was unsuccessful but there was some very good ringing and a quarter peal was achieved to mark the occasion.

Of course the bellringers need to practice regularly and this takes place on Tuesday evenings from 8 – 9.15 pm. Ringing practice always finishes on time to avoid upsetting those living nearby, especially those with small children. However we should all remember that the church and bells were there long before the houses!

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Striking Matters

A team of bellringers from St. Mary's won first place in the 6 bell Western District striking competition held at Aldbury in July 2002. This team was then only narrowly beaten into second place in the county competition, known as the Kimpton Cup, which was held later in the year at Langleybury, near Watford. The ringing room is decorated with winning certificates from many striking competitions over the years, as well as peal boards marking important occasions.

George Reading (far right of picture) celebrated 50 years as a bellringer at St. Mary's in April 2003 when he rang the Tenor to a peal in his honour.

The bellringers at St. Mary’s would like to say thanks to Liz Middleton, pictured below, who has recently stepped down as Ringing Master after 11 years in charge. She has helped to train a number of new ringers, including her own three children, and managed to maintain an excellent standard of ringing. We are all very grateful to Liz for her enthusiasm and commitment. The new Ringing Master, Pauline Ridgwell, will try hard to follow in her footsteps.