Comments

  • The road to Wigan's tears
    This fear has been around since commercial scale speakers became available perhaps a 100 years ago, just look at RW letters from the time. This has yet to come to pass in a wide spread way so perhaps no big enemy to continuation of ringing?
  • UNESCO status for bell ringing?
    The move to equalise recognition of cultural heritage to match built heritage is a welcome one.
    This thesis is a relevant read, looking at the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in England and the potential implementation of the convention. https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/36760/

    The convention requires that each state Party shall take the necessary measures to ensure the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage present in its territory. Safeguarding is defined as measures aimed at ensuring the viability of the intangible cultural heritage, including the identification, documentation, research, preservation, protection, promotion, enhancement, transmission, particularly through formal and non-formal education, as well as the revitalization of the various aspects of such heritage.
  • Launch of Belfry Projects
    A really good site, thank you. I've already passed it on to a parish considering restoration
  • Ringing Lite?


    You’d be very welcome to share your list with the Dove team and we’ll add an ellacombe apparatus/clavier flag to any towers that are currently missed out.
    Just drop us an email on
  • Rehanging under listed building consent rules
    At Redgrave in Suffolk planning permission was granted in 2012 to rehang the bells and augment but the work ultimately was blocked by the CCT who unsuccessfully objected to the planning application (another story!)
    https://planning.baberghmidsuffolk.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=ZZZW4QCMPM614&activeTab=summary
    If the link doesn’t work it’s reference 0777/12 on https://planning.baberghmidsuffolk.gov.uk
  • Ringing in Holy Week - time to spring clean the tower, but what ringing for a funeral?

    There was controversy in some parishes in 1863 about ringing for the marriage of the then Prince of Wales, later Edward VII as the marriage occurred in Lent.
  • Very old association report disposal.

    All the Suffolk Guild ones are freely accessible here http://www.suffolkbells.org.uk/GuildReports.php
    They were captured using an ordinary flatbed scanner. The images were combined into PDFs, optimised including converting to B&W and running OCR so they are fully searchable.
    We haven’t had any issues with data and have been very positively received as a useful source for research.

    Here’s a comprehensive set of instructions for using a camera to capture a book which might be more appropriate for annual reports than a scanner.
    https://www.instructables.com/Bargain-Price-Book-Scanner-From-A-Cardboard-Box/
  • Very old association report disposal.
    Certainly don’t throw them out! You’ll find someone that’ll take them off your hands on the Bell Ringing Historians mailing list. Just send an email to

    I digitised our Guild’s a few years ago and have been invaluable for research and well used by others so I’d certainly recommend doing that.
  • UK bellhanging firms
    There’s only one bell hanger (as far as I’m aware) that routinly carries out building work like cutting pockets so to advise excluding others rather narrows the field.
    Having an separate builder carry out the works shouldn’t be particularly onerous, both hanger and builder will likely be experienced in working alongside other trades.

    Your association bell advisor should be able to help?