THE ANCIENT ART AND SCIENCE OF CHANGE RINGING.
Full-circle ringing
The eighteen bells at the Bell Tower are hung for 'change-ringing', an English folk art probably developed in the sixteenth century. It is not possible to play tunes on the Swan Bells, as can be done on some bells, nor are they bells swung together in random order, both of which styles of ringing are usual in Continental Europe.
Instead the bells are rung in full circle, each by one ringer, and controlled by a rope attached to a wheel beside the bell. A wooden bar called the 'stay' engages with a sliding bar beneath the bell, and this enables the bell to be 'set' in the upright position ready for ringing. The bell strikes once each time it turns, and an experienced ringer has such good control over the bell that it is possible to ring the bells in sequence with the required gap in between each one.
Ringing the changes.
The simplest way of ringing is to ring the bells in order down the scale ('rounds'), and this can be done with any number from 3 to 16. The order of the bells can be varied by a conductor calling out changes in order, for instance 1-2-3-4-5-6 can be changed to 2-1-3-4-5-6, and then to 2-1-4-3-5-6, and so on. The next step is to ring a 'method', whereby the order of the bells changes at each pull, according to set mathematical principles.
There are countless methods, each of which has a name, such as 'Plain Bob', 'Little Bob', 'Grandsire', 'Stedman', 'Cambridge Surprise' and so on, with the second part of the name indicating how many bells are being rung. 'Minimus' uses four bells, 'doubles' five, 'minor' six, 'triples' seven, 'major' eight, 'caters' nine, 'royal' ten, 'cinques' eleven and 'maximus' twelve. Hence 'Plain Bob Major' is rung on eight bells, and 'Plain Bob Maximus' on twelve. No visual aids are normally used when ringing methods, with ringers needing to memorise their path amongst the other bells, as naturally the memorisation of each change would be impossible.
On 5 bells there are 120 possible changes, or variations in the order 1-2-3-4-5, and it takes about 5 minutes to ring all of these in a method such as 'Grandsire Doubles'. The extent of 720 changes on 6 bells takes about 20 minutes, and the 5040 on 7 bells (such as 'Stedman Triples') takes around 3 hours. This is called a 'peal' and needs to be rung without break or mistake to be valid. Most ringers consider ringing a peal to be quite an achievement! It is more usual to ring 'quarter peals' of over 1200 changes (about 40 minutes).
Eighteen bells hung for change ringing!
Swan Bells is one of only three peals of 16 bells hung for change-ringing in the world, the others being in Dublin and Birmingham. The addition of two extra 'semitone' bells at the Bell Tower means that it is possible to ring various combinations of the bells to produce lighter octaves, to ring methods on up to 12 bells avoiding having to ring the large bells, which are more difficult to handle and slower to ring. The18 bells are never all rung together.
Our Aims.
The Bell Tower aims to be a centre of excellence for the promotion and advancement of campanology in Western Australia and provide support for music, and the performing arts.
Volunteer Bellringers conduct live and interactive demonstrations for visitors on the art of English change-ringing - a band of six or more perform exhibition ringing that showcases the bells' melodic ringing, bringing to life the historical displays around the tower.
The Bell Tower is the only place in the world where bellringers can share their cultural heritage with visitors in such an open and accessible way and where visitors can participate in the ringing and see the bells as they ring them through the new AV system.
It has also become a highly popular venue for corporate functions and weddings that can enjoy the reverence of the bells, in a non-sectarian environment along with the beautiful views.
Swan Bells exhibits showcase educational displays and formal education packages have been developed that not only interpret the 14th century history of the bells, but to share the history in the context of their location on the Swan River and the interesting story of the early uses of the historical precinct of the Barrack St Jetty.
As they have come from the parish church of Buckingham Palace and the church of the Admiralty, these bell have rung for the coronation of every English monarch since George II, every major English military victory since 1726 including the Battles of Trafalgar and Waterloo, El Alamein, the end of World War I and II, and for the return of James Cook's Voyages of Discovery.
Now augmented with six new bells to make up the 18 'Swan Bells', this is one of the largest rings in the world and one of only three rings of sixteen in the world.
this interactive aspect provided by demonstrations is an extremely rare opportunity for non-ringers to handle a bell using the safe 'chiming' method of ringing.
The viewing galleries also feature interpretive displays describing aspects of the bells' history, how they are rung, the history of Barrack Square and the construction of the building as well as the 'It's About Time' and 'Asian Bells' exhibits. The 'It's About Time' highlights the art of timekeeping or 'horology' and the close historical link between bells and timekeeping and includes a couple of related navigation devices.
Learning to ring.
Become a Friend of the Bell Tower or a Bellringer.
Two ways to become more involved in the Bell Tower are to become a 'Friend' or indeed a bellringer. Why not join our 'Friend of the Bells' program? As a valued member you are entitled to unlimited free visits for one year and a 10% discount on all our merchandise. If you provide an email address we will keep you up to date with special events and exclusive offers only available to Friends of the Bells. Or become part of the worldwide fraternity of bellringers by learning to ring. It usually takes around six months to learn the basics of the art of Change Ringing, and most of this time is spent learning to control the bell. The skills required include co-ordination, a sense of rhythm (but not brute strength!) and long-term commitment.
Visiting ringers.
There is a great fellowship between change-ringers all over the world, and (with the exception of a handful of elite towers in England) visitors are always welcome to ring in other towers, no matter what their level of proficiency might be.Ringers who are planning to visit Perth are invited to contact the ringers at Bell Tower, using the e-mail address below. A warm welcome is assured!
Ringing Demonstrations Times.
Watch Bellringers in action – General ringing demos:
Monday, Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:00pm-1:00pm
Saturday and Sunday 12:00pm-1:00pm
Try your own hand – Interactive Demos:
Single bell:
Wednesday and Friday 11:30am-12:30pm
For the latest Bell ringing information:
Phone: 61+ (08) 9218 8183
Email: info@swanbells.com.au
The bells are also rung on many other occasions, with 10-bell practices and Surprise Major practices being held monthly. Contact the ringers for more information.