The Art and Science of Bells and Bell Ringing

The Christian tradition of ringing for services is analogous to adhan, the Islamic 'call to worship'. A monastic tradition of worship arose following The Great Synod of Whitby in AD 644, and bells came to be hung in the churches and monasteries.

Over the centuries a unique style of ringing developed in England called 'full circle bell ringing' in which the bell is turned through 360°.

This lecture explored the history of bell ringing, how bells are moulded, cast and tuned and how they are hung in towers for full circle ringing. Also, we discovered the mathematics of full circle change ringing, the music of bells and just how does someone ring a bell that weighs 4 tons?