1. University of Washington’s Change Ringing Bells
Sunday 24th September 2017
11am – noon ringing for:
UW Freshman
Convocation 2017
Donated to the UW in 2008, the
Gordon Stuart Peek Foundation Memorial Bells in the tower above you are
the only change ringing bells west of Texas in the continental USA.
The eight bells (the heaviest of which almost 700lbs) are rung by hand (not by machine) in the change-ringing style, which originated in 17th Century England.
Rung in order, the bells sound a descending scale. The order of the bells is then varied - each order called a change.
Change ringing bells are rung “full circle”, turning through 360 degrees from mouth up to mouth up, controlled by rope by a ringer in the room below.
To learn the basics takes 1-2 months, with some sense of rhythm and dedicated practice, To become a good ringer takes years, but allows you to ring in almost 6000 towers around the world – including
about 50 towers in the USA.
How the bell is rung Adapted from nagcr.org
The North American Guild of Change Ringers
Photo by Rachel Pusey
Belfry, showing
3 bells and wheels
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Gordon Stuart Peek Foundation Memorial Bells on Red Square Steps Photo by Sara Griggs