Yesterday, 11 ringers from the Marsworth and Eaton Bray teams were very pleased to be invited to join the Towcester team for their regular practice night.
This outing was a special event, organised by Andrew Wilby to offer our ringers the chance to try ringing on 12 and to watch a 12 bell practice. The ringers who accepted the invitation ranged from some who have been ringing for a couple of years to those who have only started recently.
When we arrived (half an hour early) we learned that Andrew was unable to attend after being involved in an accident, but Richard (the ringing master) made us all extremely welcome.
Ringing Rounds on 12
As the team were removing the half muffles from the bells following ringing for Remembrance Sunday last week, it afforded us an opportunity to go up the tower to see the bells. We saw the ring of 12, plus 8 bells hung for a musical clock and the ‘hour bell’ which is in its own wooden frame – in a previous role, this bell was the 5th of the original ring of 6 before the augmentation.
The 12 bells at Towcester
When we came down to the main practice, the Towcester team began by demonstrating the difference in speed between ringing on 6 (as most of us visitors are accustomed to) and ringing on 10 or 12. We learned that what seems like faster ringing is actually just ‘closer’ ringing, because the timing is different.
We then took turns to try rounds on 12 – most people managed this with some helpful advice from the local team, although we quickly realised that the skill to strike nicely on 12 requires more advanced bell control. Any unhelpful handling habits were magnified as we adjusted to this new style of ringing – trying not to leave big gaps as we would do on 6.
Ringing Rounds on 12
Some of us took the opportunity to try ringing some plain hunt on 11 and one ringer rang a bob course of Grandsire Cinques.
The local team demonstrated some methods – they rang Cambridge Maximus and Bristol Maximus before inviting us to join in again with some more rounds. They finished by ringing Stedman Cinques and in the true spirit of bellringers everywhere, invited us to join them in the pub.
Ringing the tenor (23cwt) behind plain hunt.
It was a great opportunity for us to see and hear some 12 bell ringing and to feel so welcomed by the local team who went out of their way to accommodate us. We thank them all very much for their hospitality.
The Hour Bell – previously the 5th of the old ring