Bell Ringing at St Peter’s
Church bell ringing has been an integral part of the life pf the church and its ministry for hundreds of years. Bells hung full circle for ringing changes is an English tradition dating back many centuries. The oldest bell in our tower was cast in 1619 so you can imagine how many people have been called to worship by the bells of St. Peter’s since then.
For the bellringers or campanologists as we are collectively known, it is a privilege to not only serve the church and congregation by ringing the bells for Sunday services but to help to celebrate key life events as well as National occasions; we ring for weddings of the parishioners, to celebrate royal births and marriages as well as for more solemn occasions when bells might be rung fully or half muffled to mark the end of a life.
As well as being a ministry to the church where bells are rung for God’s glory, it is also a hobby. It exercises the mind and body and is a sociable activity with ringers often travelling near and far to ring at other churches across the land. The band practices every Monday evening from 7.45-9.15pm and this is to ensure that our public performances on Sundays and other key dates in the church’s calendar, are as good as they can be.
A peal or quarter peal lasting approximately 3 hours or 50 minutes respectively can be commissioned to mark a special event in the life of the church and its parishioners and is recorded as such. It is part of the ringing exercise that requires concentration and stamina to ensure that the piece of ringing is successful as each bell sounding is a very public performance. There are competitions held locally and nationally where the quality and sound of the ringing is judged.
We are always looking for new ringers to learn this age old English tradition to ensure that the bells of St. Peter’s Farnborough continue to sound across the town drawing people to church in the years to come. Please contact our tower captain if you are interested in serving the church in this way.
