Why are the bells rung?

Our weekly practice nights are usually a mixture of theory and exercises focuses on developing a particular well as traditional ringing. There are ringers at various stages of ringing from those taking their first steps into ringing, to those learning to ringing rounds and call changes, to people who are now learning and ringing methods. 

Each week we have a focused "Core Ringing Skill" which the whole band looks at. These core ringing skills are those important skills all ringers need to be able to consistently do so that the ringing is of the highest standard.

Occasionally we hold the practice at St Mary Magdalene Beetley.

We always welcome visitors to the tower, whether they are interesting in learning to ring or already ring and would like to join us. .

Since bells were first installed in churches, they have been used to call the congregation to worship. At Swanton Morley we ring from half an hour prior to the Sunday Service at All Saints. We aim to ring for at least 2 services a month, ensuring there are bells for all major Christian Festivals. Regular Sunday Services ringing is lead by our Deputy Ringing Master.

We are also happy for visiting ringers to join us for service ringing, please contact us to ensure ringing is taking place

If you hear bells ringing on a Saturday during the summer you can often bet that they are ringing out to celebrate a marriage taking place at All Saints.

Requests for bells at your wedding are to be made via the Parish Office when you book your wedding. They'll be able to sort out all the details and will notify the Tower Captain so that he can arrange for a band to ring on the day.

Traditionally the ringers have rung before and after a wedding to welcome everyone to the church and then to announce the couple are now husband and wife at the end of the service.

No two bells or rings of bells are the same. As a result, ringers will often visit other towers to ring. Sometimes visitors may come along and join the practice night, but more often that not groups of ringers come together to ring as part of a ringers outing. This is when a group of ringers will travel to different towers in an area to ring. Sometimes this could be a day outing or sometimes groups of ringers go away for a weekend of ringing. Some ringers enjoy going to other towers to ring peals or quarter peals.

We often welcome visitors to All Saints.

Peals and quarter peals are for ringers as a concerts or recitals are for musicians.

They are performances of continuous ringing, with a quarter peal being anything from 35 to 50 minutes of ringing to a peal which can be up to and over three hours! It isn't the time which makes a peal or quarter peal, it is in fact the number of changes the bells make. In the case of a quarter peal this is 1260 changes and for a peal 5060 changes. Records of all the peals and quarter peals range at All Saints since the 2000 restoration visit our tower archives.

Bells across the UK have rang out to mark national events from royal wedding, to the passing of a monarch, to celebrating that peace has returned. This practice has continued at All Saints with recent National events including 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War and Royal weddings.

We also ring to show support to communities round the world who have suffered some sort of hardship such as the huge fires which swept Australia in January 2020.