The Parish Church of
Saint Mary and All Saints, Whalley
Whalley Bells: Videos
Useful films to show how a bell works while ringing full circle in the English style. Steady ringing, ringing a bell up and ringing a bell down are shown. These are split videos, taken with two cameras, showing both the bell and the ringer. Note our historic church clock to be heard ticking in the background!
Video 1: The Whalley treble bell showing full circle ringing together with the interaction of the bell and rope. See how the bell rotates in a complete circle starting and finishing at the upright position. Note how the bell is brought to rest in the upright position, over the balance and resting on the wooden stay to allow the ringer to walk away. See how dangerous bells are when they are in the up position. One small push or pull on the rope causes the heavy bell to topple and the potential for serious injury. Never touch a bell rope unless you have been trained to handle the rope and bell!
Video 2: The Whalley treble bell ringing up to the working position. Note how the bell is safely checked first to make sure it is actually down before rope coils are taken. The bell is then progressively raised from the down position, gradually releasing the coils while maintaining the arms at stretch. When the last coil is released, the bell is up and can be set on the stay in the usual way. To ensure an efficient raise, the rope is pulled on the way down and allowed to rise on the way up.
Video 3: The Whalley treble bell being rung down into a safe position. Note how the bell is lowered progressively from the upright position to the down position. The bell rope is gradually made shorter by feeding through the finger and thumb until enough slack is formed and coils can be taken. Once the bell is down and swinging slightly, a sharp check of the rope at the top of the stroke keeps the bell chiming.