You Can Ring My Bell!
At Christ Church in Blacklands, the bells don’t just ring out for Christmas time. If you live in the neighbourhood, you’ll know they chime their tune all year round on the quarter of the hour, following an English tradition of more than a thousand years. Each day as I work the chimes of Christ Church remind me of the hour, while the elaborate peals sing out on Sunday mornings and special occasions. So I was already curious about the people behind the bells when I was invited along to their weekly practice. Bell ringing – AKA campanology – has a long history. It began in the 10th century, but it was during the 15th century that the octave of eight bells was introduced and changing patterns of notes were rung, often in the familiar descending order. Today there are around 5,000 church towers in England where the bells still are rung. Christ Church is the only church in Hastings with a clock tower that chimes every quarter hour (the bells are also rung regularly at St Clement and All Saints in the Old Town, but there is no accompanying clock). Its first six bells were installed when the bell tower was built in 1890, with £2,000 of collected funds, and two more bells were added for a full complement of eight in 1897. They’ve been rung ever since, with only a break during the Second World War when all church bells were silenced. Every active belfry has a Captain of the Bells, and here it’s Geoffrey who’s in charge - only the third person to earn the title and wind the clock since it was built in 1890. It’s a prestigious job he inherited from the celebrated John Downing, captain for 60 years. Stuart has been Geoffrey’s apprentice for a time already. “I wind the clock every five days, which is a job of some precision,” says Geoffrey. In its glass case, the works are beautiful, pristinely clean with perfect cogs. I follow him up the ladder into the belfry, where eight mighty bells hang, weighing around a tonne each. The upkeep is a formidable responsibility. Geoffrey points out his repairs over the years and my knees sag with vertigo. The view from up here reaches far. “I remember when there were hop fields and farmland to see from here,” he reminisces.	Joan is once-captain John Downing’s daughter, a bell ringer of some experience herself. “I’ve been ringing the bells since I was a girl, and I remember when there were many other children here, too. We’d love to have more young people now.” There is one young member, 11-year-old Hannah, who first came along with her mum. “I’m only learning,” she says, “But I really like the sound.” There’s no need to be a church-goer to ring the bells here, so if you like the idea of joining in but aren’t religiously inclined, you’re still very welcome. I marvel as the group takes hold of the ropes and rings a peal. It’s impressive. Not only do instructions have to be understood, timing has to be spot-on and for that, you need to have a very good feel for the bell. When they finish after ten minutes, they’re all out of breath! James Caspian is a relative newcomer and he’s been learning the ropes for a few months. “You’re shifting a tonne of metal, so not only is it quite a weight but you have to be very careful to let go at the right moment. I’ve heard some stories of novices who held on too tight, were lifted off the floor and banged their heads on the ceiling!” I ask what he enjoys about coming here. “It’s very therapeutic. It takes all your concentration and there’s something about the sound that’s very calming.” Joan adds “For centuries bells have played an integral part in our lives: church services, marriages, births, deaths, Old Year and New Year. Bell ringing unites people of every age and background, our practices are very social – and it’s free!”

You Can Ring My Bell!

At Christ Church in Blacklands, the bells don’t just ring out for Christmas time. If you live in the neighbourhood, you’ll know they chime their tune all year round on the quarter of the hour, following an English tradition of more than a thousand years.

Each day as I work the chimes of Christ Church remind me of the hour, while the elaborate peals sing out on Sunday mornings and special occasions. So I was already curious about the people behind the bells when I was invited along to their weekly practice.

Bell ringing – AKA campanology – has a long history. It began in the 10th century, but it was during the 15th century that the octave of eight bells was introduced and changing patterns of notes were rung, often in the familiar descending order. Today there are around 5,000 church towers in England where the bells still are rung. Christ Church is the only church in Hastings with a clock tower that chimes every quarter hour (the bells are also rung regularly at St Clement and All Saints in the Old Town, but there is no accompanying clock). Its first six bells were installed when the bell tower was built in 1890, with £2,000 of collected funds, and two more bells were added for a full complement of eight in 1897. They’ve been rung ever since, with only a break during the Second World War when all church bells were silenced.

Every active belfry has a Captain of the Bells, and here it’s Geoffrey who’s in charge - only the third person to earn the title and wind the clock since it was built in 1890. It’s a prestigious job he inherited from the celebrated John Downing, captain for 60 years. Stuart has been Geoffrey’s apprentice for a time already. “I wind the clock every five days, which is a job of some precision,” says Geoffrey. In its glass case, the works are beautiful, pristinely clean with perfect cogs. I follow him up the ladder into the belfry, where eight mighty bells hang, weighing around a tonne each. The upkeep is a formidable responsibility. Geoffrey points out his repairs over the years and my knees sag with vertigo. The view from up here reaches far. “I remember when there were hop fields and farmland to see from here,” he reminisces.

Joan is once-captain John Downing’s daughter, a bell ringer of some experience herself. “I’ve been ringing the bells since I was a girl, and I remember when there were many other children here, too. We’d love to have more young people now.” There is one young member, 11-year-old Hannah, who first came along with her mum. “I’m only learning,” she says, “But I really like the sound.” There’s no need to be a church-goer to ring the bells here, so if you like the idea of joining in but aren’t religiously inclined, you’re still very welcome. I marvel as the group takes hold of the ropes and rings a peal. It’s impressive. Not only do instructions have to be understood, timing has to be spot-on and for that, you need to have a very good feel for the bell. When they finish after ten minutes, they’re all out of breath! James Caspian is a relative newcomer and he’s been learning the ropes for a few months. “You’re shifting a tonne of metal, so not only is it quite a weight but you have to be very careful to let go at the right moment. I’ve heard some stories of novices who held on too tight, were lifted off the floor and banged their heads on the ceiling!” I ask what he enjoys about coming here. “It’s very therapeutic. It takes all your concentration and there’s something about the sound that’s very calming.” Joan adds “For centuries bells have played an integral part in our lives: church services, marriages, births, deaths, Old Year and New Year. Bell ringing unites people of every age and background, our practices are very social – and it’s free!”

Bellringing