What is Change Ringing?
By the 1600s various developments in the art of bell hanging finally allowed bells to be rung full circle. This meant that the bell would rotate through 360 degrees and then be returned through 360 degrees, the clapper striking once during each revolution. Crucially, the bell was now controlled by the ringer and so he (no lady ringers then!) could determine when the bell sounded. This control gave birth to the art of Change Ringing.
When bells are rung they usually start in Rounds – ringing in order from the lightest to the heaviest bell. Change Ringing is achieved in one of two ways: by Call Changes or by ringing a Method. The former is exactly what it sound like. The bells are rung in rounds until someone calls for them to change. They are rung in this new order until another change is called. This continues until rounds is achieved again.
In Method Ringing each bell changes its place in the order every time the bellrope is pulled. Each bell follows a pre-determined pattern and they eventually return to rounds. By listening carefully you can tell the difference between Call Changes (occasional changes in the order) and Method Ringing (the order changes with each pull of the rope).