IS THERE a more iconic sound than church bells ringing out from the local parish church?
Whether those bells are calling the faithful to a service, celebrating a wedding or marking a major state event, the sound of church bells has been part of English history for centuries.
So it’s somewhat alarming that there is currently a real shortage of people willing to learn the skills required to become an accomplished campanologist.
Take, for example, the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin in Denham Village just to the west of Uxbridge.
This beautiful old church, parts of which are believed to date back to Norman times, has eight bells in its distinctive tower off Village Road - and they are still rung on a regular basis - but the small group of ringers who use them are keen to find some new blood to join their dwindling band.
Andrew Simpson, who was born in the village but who now lives in Uxbridge, has been involved with ringing for 40 years.
He said: “When I was a teenager, I came to church regularly but I didn’t want to join the choir or do any of the other things that were on offer – until someone suggested I have a go at bell ringing. I tried it and it quickly becomes addictive.”
There is a real art to bell ringing but Ann Collins, who has been involved for 63 years, says there is no need to have a musical background to get involved.
“You simply have to be able to count,” she said, “because it’s all about the sequencing of the bells and the different patterns of sound you can produce.
“You can create hundreds of different patterns simply by altering the order of the bell strikes.”
St Mary’s eight bells range in size from the smallest weighing a little over five hundredweight (5cwt) up to the largest - the tenor bell – weighing in at a massive 24cwt – more than a ton. Some were cast as long ago as 1683.
Ann said: “We need some good strong men to ring the big one and at the moment we don’t often use it because it’s just too heavy for us.”
The bell ringers, who come from as far afield as Uxbridge and Chalfont St Peter, meet for practice every Monday evening from 7.45 until 9pm and they are keen for anyone interested to come along, find out what’s involved and have a go.
If you’d like more information, contact the bell ringing captain, Ron Rogers, on 01895 833710.
