30
St Mary de Haura Bell Ringers
Did you know St Mary’s has a ring of 8 bells in the key of F ranging in weight from 200 kg to 700 kg? Originally from 1767, the bells were recast in 1896. There is an enthusiastic band of ringers at St Mary’s who ring for the main service every Sunday from 9.15 to 10am. Practice night is Tuesday’s 7.45 - 9.15pm when the town is filled with the beautiful sound of church bells. The bells of St Mary’s also ring for weddings and other special occasions. The St Mary’s ringers are always on the lookout for new members to join the band. It’s a fascinating and sociable pastime. Bell Ringing uses number notation, so its not necessary to have any musical knowledge, although a sense of rhythm and a good memory can be helpful. The first stage for a beginner is to learn how to handle a tower bell safely which is taught on a one-to-one basis. Once the basics have been mastered, ringing becomes a group activity with the opportunity of visiting other towers and making new friends. In 1896, the St Mary’s bells dating from
1767 were melted down and recast, with the exception of the present 7th bell, to make a ring of six bells, and two further bells were added the following year. In 1983 the bells were re-tuned and re-hung by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, which has been in existence for over 400 years. They dealt with the casting of the 1767 ring and have done all work on the bells since then. In the UK there are around 40,000 ringers and approximately 5,600 towers with bells hung for full circle ringing. Ringers from other churches are always welcome to come and join us. We are pleased to receive visits from non-ringers by prior arrangement who would like to come and watch. For more details, please contact: Hamish McKenzie the tower captain via the parish office smdh.office@gmail. com costs just £10 a year to join the Friends and your money supports the maintenance and resAre you a Friend St Mary’s? it toration of this beautifulofbuilding in the heart of Shoreham. Visit the Friends of St Mary’s to join today: www.stmarydehaura.org.uk
To advertise call 01273 452065 www.insideshoreham.com or email: insidemags@gmail.com
