Ringing Forums

One possible contender might be the recording of Evercreech that the BBC used to broadcast every day. I remember it from the 1950s but I don't know how much earlier they used it.

• BBC, from 1952 but I don't seem to be able to hear the audio on it
• Lots of BBC ones here, but no dates

Mind you, I think some of them are best left unlistened to :grimace:

• Seven bells, poorly rung. St. Michael's parish church, Mytholmroyd.
• Church Bells: Outside St. Chad's Parish Church, Rochdale.

Some relevant context for possible dates:

• Big Ben in 1890: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOl5rPP47pA
• First broadcast ringing 1925 (though it is not clear from this whether the BBC have a recording of this, or whether it was played on the Feedback programme): https://ldgcb.org.uk/news/news2014/crowland_radio4.php
• Pre war Bow bells undated: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13NJdbjhLFI
• Westminster Abbey 1947: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MhR03ddTSw&list=PL3kG3TM8jFKgMFvPFJcP2Na9KbVP0-8Up

And here is another better one of the old Bow bells:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOb6hB_lfMI.

Not dated, but the recording is listed in Homochord Records catalogue of 1926.
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/32623773/homochord-1926-british-library-sounds

I've just come across a note in the records of Leeds Parish Church that says "1935 Bells broadcast" but I've no more details yet.

It may be worh tracking down recordings of tower and handbells made by a firm called SAYDISC in Gloucestershire (I think). They aren't as old as many of those listed earlier in this thread, but they are generally good quality recordings. Does anyone know if Saydisc are still operating?

They appear to be, see their home page but it looks as though a number of labels are coalescing under the banner of Wyastone as the CD/DVD market shrinks.

VE Day Ringing which I shared here: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid04MaaM6GwEtVJxvz9oWBpafApjPdRGdpSV9BKRJGBNJ9hN35DaPaAkiyF5NhcGBMHl&id=547920828

FYI: "An error occurred during a connection to m.facebook.com".

The CCCBR may be able to help.

https://cccbr.org.uk/about/workgroups/historical-and-archive/

Indeed!

I wonder if that was a piece of ringing set up specifically for recording or it just happened to be recorded by someone

It would be good to have an official webpage where old recordings of ringing could be added (particularly rings that don't exist anymore.) We'd then have a growing compilation of old recordings all in one place. Similarly there could be a section for rings that can't be identified, which could also be lost/altered rings.

With this in mind I have collected a few recordings of bells in the Huntingdon District of the Ely DA. We ring our bells frequently but rarely record them.
In 1996 a recording was made by my late father in law of a quarter peal at Great Gransden. He used a reel to reel recorder. In 2000 the bells were re-tuned and rehung. The old recording is, as far as I know, the only record of what they sounded like at that time. The attached recording is 1 minute. About 45 seconds is of the old bells and it merges into the new bells. I hope you find it interesting.
We should all record our bells!

You know, I think I prefer them before they were tuned!

A moot point! I rather like both before and after.

Whilst Whitechapel did a fantastic job augmenting our poorly tuned 8 at Bromyard (and we have recordings to prove it) it would have been nice to have a recording of the old 6 before Taylors got at them as well.

As with any completed project, our perception of them before the work is done may well have been coloured by the way that they went as much as it was by their sound, not least influenced by those encouraging us to undertake the work.

For our own satisfaction and for future historians I think that it should be a condition of any faculty to retune bells that they should be recorded for posterity both before and after tuning.