Bell Ringing in the Belfry at St Mary le Bow, London

Spliced Surprise Max (Bristol, Zanussi & Phobos) being rung on the famous Bow Bells, by the ringers of The ASCY, on Tuesday 31st January 2023.
St Mary le Bow, 12 Bells. Tenor: 41-3-21, in C. dove.cccbr.org.uk/tower/10588

[@bellminsterboy]

Oh that new tenor clapper makes such a difference! great ringing and thanks for uploading!

[@philippratt5922]

Excellent work

[@AshleyMonck69]

Lovely clapper Philip. It’s certainly given the bell the power it deserves!

[@philippratt5922]

@@AshleyMonck69 Amazing. This is the first time I've seen it rung with others. I set it up on its own to meet the data required from it and left it there, no try-out and it appears to be spot on. I'm glad it is meeting everyone's expectations of such a great bell.

[@AshleyMonck69]

@@philippratt5922 it was such an under powered bell compared to the other 11 and was quite disappointing. Even on the Church Bells of England recording it sounded underpowered. The clapper before the current one also didn’t help matters due to the shot bushes on it. The bell now fits in beautifully and it’s a wonderful job!

[@arturito1508]

Espero de ustedes ho de usted sus comentarios ha mi wi fi gracias saludos desde México

[@RingerJamie]

Wow, I can’t wait to ring on these!!

[@JamesJoynson]

They are a grand ring indeed. And they go much better than how people make them out to be!

[@TheDroghedaBellRinger]

Really nice

[@RingerThomas]

A very good video! I think this the best video of bow!

[@SantaRudolph-ef6lv]

My favourite probably is one uploaded by irkibby back in September 2009.

[@AshleyMonck69]

Wow that new clapper really has brought power back into the bell!

[@JamesJoynson]

It really has. Clapper is only 3 weeks old

[@AshleyMonck69]

@@JamesJoynson the old one was rubbish and the bushes were no longer existent. I’ve got a video of it moving inside the bell. I’m just glad the bell has the power it deserves

[@AshleyMonck69]

@@JamesJoynson does it go up right now with the counterbalance?

[@RingerThomas]

@Ashley Monck It does with two people. Same goes for the 11th.

[@AshleyMonck69]

@@RingerThomas I know the 11th but the tenor didn’t used to

[@MauveStingerStings]

The difference the sound the tenor makes with the new clapper is noticeable from the old clapper. Now the great bell of Bow sounds a lot better :)

[@JamesJoynson]

It most certainly is much better now

[@FranzFerdinandVIII]

the camera angle is (in my eye), very professional, and the wood-shaft clapper on Bow (the tenor) makes it stand out audibly from the others. very well done! 16.Feb.2023

[@JamesJoynson]

Thank you. And yes, The Great Bell of Bow has a brand new timber-shafted clapper and indeed makes it sound absolutely incredible!

[@user-nn8lt1nn5m]

The icing on the cake is the fact that the 11th has a wooden shafted clapper too!

[@Steven_Rowe]

My dad and Bill Theobald installed these in 1961. I can remember going down to see dad making the finally adjustments before the try out I was 8. I love Bow, probably the best Whitechapel bells ever cast That purple clapper on 11 and tenor is a bit sexy.

[@JamesJoynson]

Oh wow, that’s amazing. And I agree, they really are an amazing peal of bells, I would say the best sounding peal of bells in London

[@Steven_Rowe]

@@JamesJoynson I also think they are the best. Dad also hung the original Cornhill bells , they were a horrible and to heavy for the tower. I love St Paul's because they are to me, the sound of London,and Victory even though they are old style bells. Nor exactly York Minster which I think are the finest bells in the world.

[@RingerThomas]

@@Steven_Rowe I think York Minster beat Redcliffe!

[@Steven_Rowe]

@@RingerThomas I suppose some of it simply comes down to just preference, but both are good but York Minster a4e just perfection. Apart from Yorkminster other peals I really love are Worcester, Exeter, Radcliffe,, Westbury and Inverary. A peal 9f bells I would truly love to hear is Liverpool,they sound terrible because that belfry is an acoustic disaster. The clearest is when they are half muffled. Peirhead and Manchester town hall are also crackers.

[@adamcrane7732]

Good Afternoon@@JamesJoynson

[@DevonRingerEwan]

Bouncy clapper nice vid

[@dylanthomas1394]

Wow that sounds so powerful! Wonder what it is like downstairs now…

[@JamesJoynson]

Unbelievable!!!

[@user-bp6yl3di6p]

nice bells

[@RobDaCoolE1]

The cathedral that originated the Whittington chimes

[@kafkasfranze]

I think of David Bowie's song London Boy, with the line of verse "bow bell strike another night" and a descending series of tones at the beginning of the song, which seem to imitate these bells...

[@Steven_Rowe]

I have just noticed how much bounce is on the tenor clapper. I would like to hear a before and after recording of the wooden shaft to know how much differnece it makes.

[@JamesJoynson]

If you have Facebook, I can show you that. I have a recording of the bells before the present clapper was installed

[@Steven_Rowe]

@JamesJoynson that would be great Yes I'm on Facebook. I wonder what was the first bell to have a wooden shaft, also some have a few bells with wooden shafts. I wonder if they have tried any other material like plastics etc

[@user-bp6yl3di6p]

interesting how the tenor's clapper and 11 are purple and the others red or is it the lighting

[@JamesJoynson]

It’s not the lighting. The clappers in the tenors are new timber-shafted clappers by Avon Ropes. Their business colour is purple

[@Bellringercameron]

Surprise max

[@xiaonyytv9592]

can you record the 41 cwt tenor ringing up and tolling

[@tittums]

The tenor clapper has quite considerable bounce compared to the 11th. Is there a reason for this?

[@philippratt5922]

To allow the bell to resonate, the clapper needs to lift off of the bell once struck, same as handbells really. The 11th is a slightly different design..

[@tittums]

@@philippratt5922 The double strike is quite easy to hear though and is very noticeable to my ear. Maybe it isn't as easy to hear the double strike in person, but on camera it certainly is!

[@JamesJoynson]

Video footage will pick it up more than by ear. Especially as it’s above the bells and we’re underneath. And as long as the initial strike is firm and the others are more gentle, you won’t really notice it

[@philippratt5922]

@@tittums All clappers bounce after striking the bell. The larger SG cast iron shafted clappers tend not to, but as a consequence they then sit on the soundbow dampening the resonance of the bell. As a general rule, the more they rebound after striking the better the design as the energy goes into the rebound as an equal and opposite reaction, rather than travelling up the shaft as a shock through the bush.

[@tittums]

It does show that the clapper is properly balanced if it does bounce back, but the bounce on this, especially at the end when the bells set is very noticeable and I wonder if it could be detected by the human ear, especially when standing. To me it seems excessive, but I trust the professionals in this matter!

[@mike199219921992]

If all the bells ends upside down. How did the hammers strike the quarter and hour strike? Or are that different bells?

[@arturito1508]

Esas canpana son para todos los dragones sagrados del mundo saludos Arturito demexico

[@AYDEN_OFROBLOX]

why red and then bule clappers?

[@heyabusa1]

Could someone please tell me what scale these bells are. I can't quite pitch that first peal. It doesn't quite sound like a normal descending eight note in major key. Thanks.

[@JamesJoynson]

The bells are in the C Major scale

[@arturito1508]

Esas canpanas son para Tobi el dragón dormilon

[@arturito1508]

De Arturito las réplicas de campanas son para todi el dragón

[@arturito1508]

Ias campanas son para los dragones dormilones