Hell's Bells
03/08/2006 09:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
izmeinaWas working 5-9 Tuesday so figures we'd take the opportunity to visit the Bell Tower which is free on the first Tuesday of every month - well not quite - instead of the usual six silver sickles, they ask for a gold coin donation
It also happens to be conveniently located right next to our favorite Indian restaurant so that was just the excuse we needed
After some yummie scrummie munchies, pottered off to the tower with our two silver sickles when we seen a sign "Become a friend of the Bells for four dollars" (It normally costs $$2 more than the usual admission price)
Oh this is just perfect thinks the Izzie. That's even cheaper than Scrooge Tuesdays and means we can go any day we like for nothing. So was most delighted to sign up before slinking to the fourth floor to peek at the pretty pealers - all 18 of them.
Will never forget the first time we visited back in 2000 and was lucky enough to see them ringing. Not only do you get to see and hear them but also feel them too as the noise is so loud that it vibrates the whole tower. There is two layers of not quite sound proof glass between the bells and the folks watching but that is only good for reducing the noise levels.
Been addicted ever since and worked out that between 12 and 1pm is by far the most likely time for a bit of ding donging
This particular day - the creature feature was "Chimes for Charity' which silly Izzie assumed was just an extra session of ringing. Not so at all. Walks past the room where the folks are hanging off the ropes only to see that for once the door is open. Most unusual indeed. Just gotta have a peek. A sign on the door says that you too can chime a bell for a small donation.
How could we pass up a chance like this? So the Iz went in and a bunch of us got shown what to do. This was only chiming - mind you - not proper Quasimodo stuff
Innocently asked the Big Bad Boss of Bells how they go about getting the bells in the upright position after they've finished. Turns out to be a most truly evil request indeed. Is apparently similar to pushing some one higher and higher on a swing in a playground. For all intents and purposes - looked exactly like normal ringing but they somehow seem to know just where the bells are when playing with those ropes
There's one bell there that weighs 1500 kilograms. Another innocent question from the Izzie "Do you ever chime that one?" Most certainly not - it takes apparently 3 weeks to 3 months of training to ring the bugger and up to two years to be able to play it properly. While it is damned hard work - at least you got gravity and the laws of motion to do most of the hard work for you but with chiming - you are bearing the weight all the time and then have the problem of putting it back in the upright position. She said that it takes three men to get it up. (Her words - not ours)
And of course - swinging off the ropes is strictly verboten. The Boss said - that if some one lost control of a bell, its rope would go flying around like a cut snake and do very nasty things to anyone in its path. And 18 very vicious snakes would be a most scary sight indeed.
Izzie only got to play with one that was 250 kilos or so but found out that they do regular training sessions on Sunday mornings for folks who want to learn and that today between 12 and 1pm they'd be doing some quarter peal ringing that would go on for about 40 or 50 minutes. All the ringers are volunteers so it is amazing that they can find 8 folks all at once. Sometimes - very very rarely - they've had 12 or 16. Seen the 12 in action and it truly was fascinating. Is not that exciting watching a bunch of folks pulling on ropes but seeing the bells themselves really is. In most places like churches and towers - they are way up and hidden and well away from curious nosy serpents. And most certainly it would be an ear splitting experience to be up with them even if it was allowed.
So - while the tower itself is a non event - the fact that you can actually stand right next to them and watch is what makes it so special and what gets the Iz going back again and again.
There's something magical about bells. Very hypnotic and apart from the actual vibration, there's a sort of drone - not quite bagpipes or didgeridoo - or our favorite - the hurdy gurdy - but some sort of reverberation we guess and it certainl.y does a good job of chasing the grumps away and getting this serpent all spaced out and in a most msytical magical mood.
It also happens to be conveniently located right next to our favorite Indian restaurant so that was just the excuse we needed
After some yummie scrummie munchies, pottered off to the tower with our two silver sickles when we seen a sign "Become a friend of the Bells for four dollars" (It normally costs $$2 more than the usual admission price)
Oh this is just perfect thinks the Izzie. That's even cheaper than Scrooge Tuesdays and means we can go any day we like for nothing. So was most delighted to sign up before slinking to the fourth floor to peek at the pretty pealers - all 18 of them.
Will never forget the first time we visited back in 2000 and was lucky enough to see them ringing. Not only do you get to see and hear them but also feel them too as the noise is so loud that it vibrates the whole tower. There is two layers of not quite sound proof glass between the bells and the folks watching but that is only good for reducing the noise levels.
Been addicted ever since and worked out that between 12 and 1pm is by far the most likely time for a bit of ding donging
This particular day - the creature feature was "Chimes for Charity' which silly Izzie assumed was just an extra session of ringing. Not so at all. Walks past the room where the folks are hanging off the ropes only to see that for once the door is open. Most unusual indeed. Just gotta have a peek. A sign on the door says that you too can chime a bell for a small donation.
How could we pass up a chance like this? So the Iz went in and a bunch of us got shown what to do. This was only chiming - mind you - not proper Quasimodo stuff
Innocently asked the Big Bad Boss of Bells how they go about getting the bells in the upright position after they've finished. Turns out to be a most truly evil request indeed. Is apparently similar to pushing some one higher and higher on a swing in a playground. For all intents and purposes - looked exactly like normal ringing but they somehow seem to know just where the bells are when playing with those ropes
There's one bell there that weighs 1500 kilograms. Another innocent question from the Izzie "Do you ever chime that one?" Most certainly not - it takes apparently 3 weeks to 3 months of training to ring the bugger and up to two years to be able to play it properly. While it is damned hard work - at least you got gravity and the laws of motion to do most of the hard work for you but with chiming - you are bearing the weight all the time and then have the problem of putting it back in the upright position. She said that it takes three men to get it up. (Her words - not ours)
And of course - swinging off the ropes is strictly verboten. The Boss said - that if some one lost control of a bell, its rope would go flying around like a cut snake and do very nasty things to anyone in its path. And 18 very vicious snakes would be a most scary sight indeed.
Izzie only got to play with one that was 250 kilos or so but found out that they do regular training sessions on Sunday mornings for folks who want to learn and that today between 12 and 1pm they'd be doing some quarter peal ringing that would go on for about 40 or 50 minutes. All the ringers are volunteers so it is amazing that they can find 8 folks all at once. Sometimes - very very rarely - they've had 12 or 16. Seen the 12 in action and it truly was fascinating. Is not that exciting watching a bunch of folks pulling on ropes but seeing the bells themselves really is. In most places like churches and towers - they are way up and hidden and well away from curious nosy serpents. And most certainly it would be an ear splitting experience to be up with them even if it was allowed.
So - while the tower itself is a non event - the fact that you can actually stand right next to them and watch is what makes it so special and what gets the Iz going back again and again.
There's something magical about bells. Very hypnotic and apart from the actual vibration, there's a sort of drone - not quite bagpipes or didgeridoo - or our favorite - the hurdy gurdy - but some sort of reverberation we guess and it certainl.y does a good job of chasing the grumps away and getting this serpent all spaced out and in a most msytical magical mood.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-04 03:35 pm (UTC)But it shows that it's brains and not brawn that matter - well with ringing rather than chiming because she's a skinny little thing with 56 years bell ringing experience since her first attempt at the age of 14!
What is really scary - is not just ringing the big buggers but how between 8 and 12 people can do it in such a co-ordinated way that it sounds simply gorgeous rather than some horrid cacophony from hell.
So so tempted to sign up to learn how to do it as it truly is a most musical and novel way to get fit and now we got a free pass for the year - just looking and listening will probably not be enough
Didn't see anyone actually swinging on the ropes but that's probably because they all knew what they were doing and were able to command and control the beasties.
Izzie thinks you would so so love to be able to actually stand right next to them while they are ringing and not only hear them pealing but feel them too.