Bell Ringing Belfry Burgh Skegness
The Skegness Video photographic crew were honoured when invited to film the peal of bells in the belfry of Burgh le Marsh Church Lincolnshire England.
The event was an amazing experience:
The ascent up the belfry began with a climb up the old worn stone spiral steps. The going was quite precarious as the staircase was extremely narrow!
We were launched into the staircase before we realized that bulky camera equipment over left shoulders forced us to tread on the narrow part of the steps. One slip and we’d have been joining the clientele of the graveyard below quicker than we thought!
The first landing led into the bell ringing chamber. Here, our guide asked a campanologist (bell ringer) to ‘ring up’ the tenor bell. (’Ringing up’ consists of pulling on the ropes until the bell is positioned mouth-upwards resting against a stake).
We were then led, camera equipment on RIGHT shoulders (we learn fast!), up more steps to a second landing.
The second landing housed the church clock mechanisms.
The clock is synchronized with Big Ben and, although it used to be hand wound, it is now electrically regulated.
In the rafters of the second landing is a hatch door.
My husband Paul ascended the ladder first and climbed onto a narrow ledge. From this vantage point he could almost reach out and touch the tenor bell. Maintaining my relatively safe position at the top of the ladder, (not in fear of my own safety, you must understand, but because of the responsibility of cooking dinner when we returned to base!), I thrust the camcorder into his hand. The tenor bell began to swing and the next two captured frames are from this footage.
Having acquired these shots of the tenor bell in action, our guide told us we must retreat to the bell ringing chamber for safety reasons whilst the full peal was ‘rung up’.
The campanologists proceeded to ring up all eight bells. The two larger, heavier bells were rang up by two men as this speeded up the process.
All bells poised, the bell ringers began their practicing session
We were then given permission to go to the top of the belfry to photograph the peal through the viewing window.
Up once more the winding stone steps, past the clock housing chamber, higher up the belfry.
We saw the glazed viewing window about 30cm square, cut into the old stone walls of the church….
….and espied our first bell.
Camcorder pressed to the window, we were able to capture the amazing sight of the full peal in glorious action!
The level of sound was almost deafening and unbelievably, the whole tower rocked with the power.
It was an amazing experience.
You can share it by watching the video!
Jan 16th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
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