Random, pointless question.

Does anyone have any idea why the Cathedral bell tolled non-stop from 2.45 this afternoon for about 20mins?? I was trying to chill out in the sun with the girlfriend but we had to get up and leave it was so annoying!

Why were you there? Why weren't you consuming alcohol on a sunny beer terrace?

please let me know.

Shopping. Well the girlfriend was..... Cathedral is a nice place for some mid-shopping sandwiches.

I always thought the Cathedral was for religious things and snack bars were for sandwiches, and unless your being carried in there inside a box the bells shoudnt bother you :-)

Originally posted by owdlad
I always thought the Cathedral was for religious things and snack bars were for sandwiches, and unless your being carried in there inside a box the bells shoudnt bother you :-)

I'd think I'd prefer the bells.

It might have been longer than 20mins. If it was between 45mins and 60min you call it a "Quarter Peal" these consist of around 1260 changes of the bells in a method (being a pattern they follow). The difference in time depends on the weight of the bells. The ligher the tenor (being the heaviest bell) the quicker the peal is. The heavier the longer because of the time it takes for it to rotate. There are also "Peals" these consist of 5040 changes and take anything from 3hrs to 4hrs on ringing to complete the method. :)

Originally posted by owdlad
I always thought the Cathedral was for religious things and snack bars were for sandwiches, and unless your being carried in there inside a box the bells shoudnt bother you :-)
We were sat outside in the sun eating sarnies from M&S...not inside! Nevermind...Rick has (probably) answered my pointless question, and for that I thank him!

Maybe for Whit Monday??
Pentecost or Whitsun is observed on the seventh Sunday after Easter. The recent adoption of a Late Spring Bank Holiday on the last Monday in May is an attempt to deal with the fact that Whitsuntide is a moveable feast dependent on the date of Easter. Although it is no longer necessarily at the church's Whitsuntide, the general public still refers to this holiday as "Whit Monday."

if it was a single bell tolling for about 10 mins then it was the service bell that is rung 10 mins afore a service, in this case the 1500 evensong

if it was multiple bells, then it could have been either a peal or the ringers were practicing, tho that is unlikly as practice night is thursday

dave

practise you say?

anybody up for campanology class?

Im a campanologist myself. Its no easy task to be a bell ringer or to learn to be one. Take up at your own risk ;-)

I love church bells, tradition and all that and so much more preferable to cars blaring out someone else's taste in music, fireworks at all hours and even the ice cream jingles seem to be changing for the worst.

How's your hearing then?

Mine? Crap! lol (But its from a complication at birth not from hearing bells ring) the majority of church ringing chambers have sound proofing. Its only when you go up to see bells actually working in motion can they have an effect on your hearing.

it's good to see there are some fellow bellringers registered with this forum.

Originally posted by Basalt
it's good to see there are some fellow bellringers registered with this forum.

Well I used to be a bellringer...not rang for about 2 years but as they say..once you have the nack you never loose it. Where do you ring?

Originally posted by Basalt
it's good to see there are some fellow bellringers registered with this forum.


I never rang any bells but love the sound of them. In fact I have a CD of bellringing, but haven't seen it for a while so I bet our lass has hidden it somewhere; the neighours where we used to live once complained I played it too loud. :rolleyes:

Were they rung for the memorial service for the late Duke of Devonshire or the Earl of Scarborough?