Bell Ringing at Wells Cathedral, Somerset

Filmed Sunday 17th November 2019, when members of The Lilliputters Guild were made very welcome at Sunday morning service ringing, with thanks to Andrew and the Cathedral band for hosting us. Ringing here is from two separate lots of call changes, with Rachel rocking the tenor! The ringing also included a bob-course of Grandsire Caters, though this was not filmed. With a tenor of some 56cwt, Wells Cathedral are the heaviest ring of ten, and the fifth-heaviest ringing peal of bells.
Wells is the smallest city in England (excluding the City of London), with a population of some 12,000, and takes its name from three wells (or springs), the reason for the original settlement. There has been a church on the site since the early 700s; Wells Minster was elevated to Wells Cathedral in 909. The present Cathedral building was begun in 1175, and was mostly complete (as seen today) by the Tudor period. The bells hang in the South West “Harewell” Tower (the one to the right when looking at the Cathedral from the West, as per the opening photo), and the tenor bell is named “Harewell” - both a nod to the medieval Bishop of that name, who gave two-thirds of the cost of the tower and two bells - a precursor to the current ring.
The current bells began life as a ring of 8, cast by Abel Rudhall of Gloucester in 1757. The two tenors were recast by Taylor’s in 1877, and two trebles were added by Mears & Stainbank of Whitechapel in 1891 - at this point, the bells were hung in a new cast iron frame by Blackbourne and Greenleaf of Salisbury. The 6th was recast in 1964 by Whitechapel, and a rope guide was fitted to the front 6 in 2016 to improve the handling. With their considerable weight, a fairly long draught and tower movement, they are still not the easiest ring of bells, but are very clear inside, with a gravelly, old-fashioned tone.
Tenor 56-1-14 in C.
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