Centenary of The Ringing World celebrated at Westminster Abbey

The Ringing World is the only magazine devoted to the English art and science of change-ringing, an art that has its origins in the 16th century. The journal has been published almost every week since the first issue appeared on 24th March 1911.

The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr John Hall, said in his Address:

Fans of change-ringing are not only to be found in the English-speaking world. I was at the Abbey of Montecassino earlier this week, half way between Rome and Naples, where I was participating in the celebrations of the feast of the Passing of St Benedict. There an Italian monk Don Francesco told me that he was a fan of change-ringing and an avid reader of The Ringing World.

The bells bring people to the worship of almighty God. Perhaps the nostalgia often evoked in people when they hear the ringing of church bells reflects the yearning that is in us all for a strong, warm relationship with God, even if we fail to recognise it as such.

Maybe even, when people object to the sound of church bells, as sometimes they do, their very anger reflects the struggle in them between their soul, their yearning for God, and their mind, with their intellectual problems about faith.

The Reverend Andrew Tremlett, Canon of Westminster and Rector of St Margaret’s Church, read Exodus 39: 1-14, 22-26, 43 and Robert Lewis, Editor of The Ringing World, read Romans 12: 4-5, 9-13.

Intercessions were led by Dr William A. Hibbert, Director of The Ringing World.

After the service the bells of the Abbey Church were rung by members of the Westminster Abbey Company of Ringers together with other ringers attending the service.

The Abbey has a peal of ten bells cash by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in 1971. The tenor bell is tuned to the note of D and weighs over 30 hundredweight.

Two of the eight bells in use prior to 1971 were cast in the reign of Elizabeth I and are retained and chimed prior to evening service.

The Abbey’s oldest bell, which is preserved in the museum was cast in 1310 by Richard de Wymbis and bears the inscription ‘Christus Audi Nos’.

See also:

The Order of Service (PDF 990 KB)

The Address given by The Dean of Westminster

Centenary of The Ringing World celebrated at Westminster Abbey