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York MinsterYou are in: North Yorkshire > History > York Minster > Ringing the changes  Ringing the changesBy Andrew Barton York Minster has a total of 32 bells, including the heaviest bell in the country still rung by hand. Records of them start in the 14th Century. But do you know who rings them, how they are rung, when they are rung and why? Bell-ringing has been known since the mid-19th Century as 'Change Ringing'. It was invented as a 'sport' by gentlemen about 400 years ago – and you can see why when you realise just how sophisticated it is.
Help playing audio/video On the 12 bells of York Minster you could potentially ring 478, 1600 - yes that's four hundred and seventy eight million, one thousand, six hundred! - different musical rows.  There's a sixth of a second to sound each bell The change ringers have a sixth of a second to sound their bell in between the one that goes before it and the one that goes after it! To make it even more difficult there's a gap of a couple of seconds between the rope being pulled and the bell sounding. This year during the Christmas period the bells at York Minster will play carols on an ancient instrument called a clavier. You can learn all about the clavier and the other bells that are rung at York Minster by listening to our documentary and you can see pictures of the bells in our gallery. last updated: 31/03/2008 at 12:11 You are in: North Yorkshire > History > York Minster > Ringing the changes Did you know?York Minster's 32 bells include: Great Peter, 6 queen mother bells, 14 peeling bells and 11 chiming bells played by a wooden Clavier 200 year old graffiti, was put there by bell-ringers, maintenance men, masons and vergers |
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