We are always on the lookout for new recruits, so please do get in touch if you would like to find out more about ringing and perhaps have a try!
Richard Dyson (richarddyson2014@gmail.com)
Looking back over the year
The Bellringers’ year revolves around ringing on Sunday mornings, usually with six of us ringing six bells (but it’s better to have all 8 bells ringing out if we have the numbers). Other occasions we ring include Remembrance Sunday, weddings and to mark special events and anniversaries, while we practice on Tuesday evenings.
We were delighted to have a Bellringers’ Evensong in January, led by Rev Kevin Scully, which was preceded by ringing and followed by a glass of wine and chat.
We also occasionally host visitors from the Kent Association and East Grinstead Guild, which mean extra ringing in the tower on a few Saturday mornings or early evenings. We also hold training mornings, when we use a simulator on our laptop while the bells are silenced, so actual ringing without anyone outside hearing us!
We had a visit this year from the Junior Choir, when everyone had a chance to climb up to see the bells, joined in a quiz and then actually rang a bell.
We have rung several quarter peals in the year, which are more sophisticated methods. We often ring these on Sunday evenings before Evensong, usually lasting for 40-45 minutes.
We rang a special quarter to celebrate the confirmation of 10 candidates in late March, the service being led by Bishop Simon Burton-Jones. We shared Quarter Peal cards with all of the candidates so they have an additional memento of their special day.
About the bells
The first record of a bell at Edenbridge is in 1502 and by 1608 the parish records indicate that there were several bells present. In 1807 the bells were recast by Thomas Mear of Whitechapel. Two smaller bells were added in 1896, cast by Goslin. In 1911 this disparate collection of bells was re-cast and re-hung by the former bellfoundry of Gillett and Johnston (now tower clock repairers) in Croydon. The bells were opened on Holy Saturday 1911, and are now renowned as some of the most attractive bells to ring in the local area. The Centenary of the bells’ recasting was marked by a Centenary Evensong in May 2011.
The tower
The tower stands at 72 feet tall, with a spire composed of substantial timberwork. It is distinguished by its one-handed clock, and widely-flaring buttresses, lending great stability.
Nowadays the heaviest bell (the tenor) of the Gillett and Johnston bells weighs 14 cwt 7 lbs and the highest note (the treble) weighs 3 cwt 3 qu and 3 lbs. The total mass of bell-bronze is 51 cwt 2qu 7lbs. A bell produces a very complex sound with many thousands of tones, but only a bell’s dominant hum note, fundamental, minor tierce, quint and nominal are tuned. The ring is tuned to the key of F# major.
Apart from many visitors commenting on the ease of ringing at Edenbridge, some aficionados have also been surprised by the quality of the bells’ tone for their weight. The only major work on the bells that has taken place since 1911 is their re-hanging on self-lubricating, smooth-running ball bearings in 1969, by the Whitechapel Bellfoundry.
The Belfry
Four bells swing north-south and four swing east-west to balance the stresses on the tower. Gillett and Johnston installed the re-cast bells in a metal frame, and made the relatively unusual decision to use an “H-frame”, not a standard “A-frame”. The benefit to us is reduced movement in the frame when the bells are ringing, which makes the bells very easy to ring.
The wooden stay (projecting above bell) allows the bell to rest upside-down between pieces of ringing (the bells are pictured “down”, when they are safe to approach). G&J made another unusual decision by installing slide-blocks on a slide-rail (shown below the bell).
In the mid 2000s we started using bellropes with synthetic topends. The “tail-end” (which the ringer holds) and the stripy “sally” are hemp rope, which is more comfortable to grip. Higher up, the rope is made of long-lasting terylene. This also means the ropes don’t shrink or grow with changes in the weather.
Peals and Quarter Peals
The word peal has gained a specialised meaning in ringing, and refers to a set length of ringing. These set
lengths are usually around 3 hours, depending on the number of bells in the tower, how heavy the bells are, and how energetic the ringers are feeling.
All peals are recorded and published in the national ringing records, with those rung for special occasions sometimes commemorated by a peal board. There are 16 peal boards in the belfry at Edenbridge, with the oldest dating from 1896 to the most recent peal, rung in 2024 to mark Fr Stephen Mitchell’s 33 years as Vicar of Edenbridge (see below).
Ringing a full three-hour peal takes quite some time though, and so ringers also ring quarter peals. These take about 45 minutes and can fit in nicely before a service. Quarter peals can also be rung for special occasions and if the ringers wish, they can also send their quarter peals for publication in the national records. Quarter peals aren’t marked with peal boards, but some towers have quarter peal cards produced. The oldest quarter peal card at Edenbridge dates from 1955.
Previous posts
Edenbridge ringers’ outing to Surrey, May 2019
Tower outing to Ashford District, June 2018