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LUDLOW BELLS ARE CALLING
following Sunday. With the move
Oh, come you home of Sunday of the Eucharist at St Laurence’s
While Ludlow streets are still to 10.00am the band will adopt
And Ludlow bells are calling the nationwide custom of ‘calling
To farm and lane and mill the faithful to church’ – ringing
A E Housman A Shropshire Lad before the service, 9.15-10am.
There is some trepidation among
Ludlow streets have probably never the ringers: will we have
been as still as they have been in the last forgotten how to handle the
15 months. Many people were bells? Will we remember the
reassured in these strange times to hear ‘methods’, the intricate rules for
the Ludlow bells, striking the quarters changing the sequence in which
and the hours and playing the familiar the bells sound, with names like
tunes. What you may not have realised Grandsire Triples or St Clement’s Caters
is that the Ludlow bellringers have been (you can listen to the Ludlow band
‘furloughed’ all this time. The only ringing that one at https://youtu.be/
reason the bells did not fall silent was n7W7hm8I_XY)? Will we still be able to
that we are fortunate in having a carillon climb all those steps up to the ringing
(an automated system using hammers to room?
strike the bells from the outside).
Once it is safe to do so, the fortnightly
Many towns and villages have not heard Sunday afternoon quarter peals will
their bells at all since the end of March resume with the more skilful members
last year; the only way they can be rung of the band ringing a single method
is by hand – which requires 6, 8, 10 or without hesitation, repetition or
12 people to stand in a circle very close deviation for 45 minutes. And a band of
to each other in the confined space of a visiting top-flight ringers will attempt a
poorly-ventilated ringing chamber as full peal with the bells half-muffled on
they pull energetically on the ropes to 10 September to mark the twentieth
ring ‘full-circle’ (when the clapper strikes anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
the inside of the bell). For obvious
reasons this meant that all ‘live’ ringing So do listen out for the bells when live
had to stop. ringing returns; see if you can hear the
difference between the carillon and full-
The Central Council of Church Bell circle ringing; and forgive the ringers if
Ringers and the Church of England have the ringing is a little ragged or rusty -
drawn up guidance for a return to we may just be out of breath.
ringing, with each church carrying out a
local risk assessment. If all goes to plan If you would like to know more about
the Ludlow ringers will resume weekly bell ringing or fancy learning more about
service ringing and evening practices on it contact our new Tower Captain
Monday 21 June (7.30-9.00pm) from the Richard Bracher (01584 811514).
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