The Bells of Wellington Cathedral of St Paul
The Wellington Cathedral of St Paul possesses the heaviest ring of bells in the country, with a total of 14 bells, tenor weighing 27-1-24cwt (1400kg). A maximum of 12 can be rung at once, which form the main peal, whilst two additional bells (Extra treble and Flat sixth) enable a lighter ring of ten (using the 9th as the tenor) to be rung.
The ring consists of seven new bells and seven old bells which were previously hung in the now demolished church of St Edmund's in Northampton, England. The church had become redundant and subsequently the bells became redundant too. They were removed from the church in 1979 and were brought to Loughborough, awaiting their fate. They found no use elsewhere in the diocese, so they were incorporated into the new twelve for Wellington. Seven of the old eight were retained, but one was found to be of poor quality, so was recast to form the current 9th. All the old bells had their partials retuned to improve the tone, while the ex 2nd was retuned an entire semitone down to fit into the scale. They were shipped to Wellington alongside 6 new bells in 1981, and were finally installed during 1983-1984, with the dedication taking place on Easter 1984. The old bells now make up 4-8, 10 & 11, and Extra treble, 1-3, Flat sixth, 9 & 12 were new castings.
Before the full completion of the tower, the Cathedral had three bells which are believed to have been hung dead at the level of the current belfry floor. Two of the 1866 bells were brought over from Old St Paul's, and later another bell of unknown origin (probably donated) was added on . The 1866 bells were eventually melted down and contributed to the casting of the 6 new bells, and the remaining one was recast into the current flat sixth.
The ring is certainly one of the finest in the country, not just sound wise, but also because they are very easy to ring - the tower is one of few in the world constructed with the bells in mind. Due to the reinforced concrete construction and very deep foundations, the tower is incredibly solid and barely moves, meaning the bells are very predictable to ring and go exceptionally well with minimal effort. Unfortunately the concrete has some negative effects on the acoustics. Combined with a very spacious and high-ceilinged belfry, it does make them somewhat harsh-sounding and echoey, exacerbated by the intense resonance of the tenor bell. Although an indication of a good quality bell, aided by a wooden shafted clapper, it has led to complaints of the twelve sounding somewhat mushy in the ringing room. Aside from this however, they are a truly grand, old fashioned but beautiful sounding ring.
In addition to the ring of fourteen, there are 2 additional bells hanging about the cathedral. The first of these is the "Bell of Remembrance", a service bell which hangs 'dead' at the front of the cathedral, under a turret roof high above the main entrance. It was originally cast by John Taylor & Co, as the treble of a set of three for St John the Evangelist in Eastbourne, Sussex, in England. This church was badly damaged in the blitz, but luckily the bells had been hung in a seperate campanile which was not touched. To fund for restoration of the church, 2 of the bells were sold off. The tenor was sent to St David's Cathedral in Hobart to be used as the tenor of the ring of ten, and the middle bell remained at St John's, leaving behind the treble. Timothy Hurd purchased it from the Whitechapel Bellfoundry as they had done the removal work, and donated it as part of the cathedral completion campaign. It is rung today via an Electromagnetic hammer.
https://crbellsnz.weebly.com/wellington-cathedral.html
Contact the bell ringers
The Wellington ringers have their own website - you are invited to visit it.
As you arrive at a service at the Wellington Cathedral, you will hear the majestic bells ringing out in welcome.
The Cathedral bells are hung for English Change Ringing. This is one of only seven towers in New Zealand where change ringing takes place. Change ringing is an ancient craft, dating back to 17th century England. Each bell is swung by a long rope, by a bell ringer in the ringing chamber below. The bells are sounded in sequences called methods. Methods are usually rung on 6, 8, 10 or 12 bells, depending on the number of ringers available.
You are invited to visit the bell tower while we are ringing on Sunday mornings: just take the lift to the 3rd floor. The bells are rung before Sunday services (9.00 – 10.00am and 3.00 – 5.00pm). They are also rung for other special occasions, such as weddings, funerals and at times of national celebration.
Visiting ringers are welcome to Sunday ringing and to Tuesday night practice, from 7.30pm to 9.00pm. Look at the Wellington Ringers web site for more details.