Bell Ringing and Beyond

I was bell ringing at St Margaret’s church, Rainham (Kent) recently and my eyes wandered to a plaque on the wall recording a piece of ringing in 1926, with the name of the vicar also recorded on the ornate board - W.A.R.Ball. Many people at St John’s will be familiar with that name as he was our vicar from 1938-1944, by then he was Canon Ball, a most suitable name for a wartime vicar!

Had I not been a bellringer I would not have picked up on this snippet of historical information. There are so many extras to bellringing. There is social and architectural history, travel and geography, as well as the rewards of team work and physical and mental exercise. Next week I am ringing at Brookland in Kent which is one of a small number of bell towers detached from the church and known locally as the candle snuffer. It is now very rare that we can ring all eight bells at St John’s on a Sunday morning.

Dominic has now joined the ringers at Bristol University, leaving only eight of us. And with family and work commitments we sometimes only meet four or five, and may even not ring at all. I would love to introduce more people to the world of bell ringing, so please do not be shy - come along and see what it is all about. To learn to ring you need to be aged about 10 or over, although size is more important than age. Fit enough to climb a flight of 40 steps, and be prepared to learn a frustratingly difficult skill.

Anne Rueff