If you know your Grandshire Doubles from your Plain Hunting, then chances are you’re a bell-ringer.
At St John’s Church in Halesowen, ringers are carrying on a 300-year-old tradition of English Change Ringing.
“We know we have had bells at St John’s since the 1200s, but in 1707 six bells were cast for the church by Joseph Smith of Edgbaston,” says Steve Scanlon, secretary of the bell-ringers. Five of them still exist and one was melted down and recast right back in 1753.
“Later, two more bells were added from funding raised by public subscription, which was set up by local poet William Shenstone.
“In 1707 they were not in the musical scale, but since then we have been able to practise change ringing on them.
“We have around 20 members in the band. We are lucky in Halesowen because, while numbers are dwindling away elsewhere, we are able to keep a good group together.
“However, we are always looking for new members because we have older bell-ringers who may find in the future they can’t make the climb up the 60 steps to the ringing room.”
From June 16 to 24, the ringers will be holding 300th anniversary celebrations and these will include a mobile belfry in Halesowen town centre to give shoppers a taste of bell-ringing.
“Some people don’t realise the bells they hear ringing for services, weddings and other special occasions are real bells rung by real people, and they are not recordings,” says Steve.
“The bell tunes are known as English Change Ringing and more than 5,800 English churches ring their bells in this way.
“Internationally there are about 200 churches with change ringing bells and these are predominantly in former British colonies of North America, Canada and Australia. The skills of change ringing have been passed down through the generations using hands-on training.
For more information about the anniversary celebrations, or to try bell-ringing, call Steve on 0121 422 3067.
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