Historic peal tomorrow
Around midday tomorrow Grahamstown residents should listen out for something that has been heard only eight times in the past 138 years.
On Saturday 25 February 2017 10 ringers from England will be visiting Grahamstown to attempt what will be only the 9th full peal to be rung on the bells of the Cathedral of St Michael and St George.
The band comes from London (2), Birmingham (1), Lincoln (2), Essex (1), Hertfordshire (2), Hampshire (1) and Northamptonshire (1).
They have all been ringing for many years with most learning in their local village church as teenagers - “some were even younger!” according to group member Allan Regin. “We plan on ringing Cambridge Surprise Royal,” Regin said.
“This is a long established ‘method’ that was first rung to a full peal on 26th October 1822 in Wakefield, Yorkshire.”
In bell-ringing terms, a method is a particular se- quence or pattern.
“During our visit to South Africa we will be visiting all nine towers where the bells are hung for full circle ringing,” Regin said.
Cast in London in 1878 the Cathedral bells were hung in the tower shortly afterwards but were extremely difficult to ring.
“This was remedied in the early 1990s by an initiative inspired by Professor Colin Lewis who at the time was working at Rhodes University,” Regin said.
“I had met Colin on a previous visit and after some discussion we arranged to bring some wheels from St Martin in the Fields, London that would be suitable for the Grahamstown project.”
The wheels had been replaced when the St Martins bells were restored in 1988 and had been stored in the roof space of the church. “Transportation for the wheels was arranged via staff at the South African High Commission adjacent to the Church and one lunchtime the wheels were lowered down the side of St Martins and loaded on to the High Commission Transit van to be taken to the Whitechapel Bellfoundry.
These wheels are still in use in Grahamstown today."
The bells were augmented from the original eight to a ring of 10, with the addition of two treble bells (the smallest) which were cast at the Whitechapel Bellfoundry in London in 1996.
The ring is the heaviest in South Africa with a tenor (the largest) of just over 25cwt (1 1/4 tons).
The ringers will be at the Cathedral at 10am to undertake an inspection of the bells with a view to starting the peal attempt just after midday on Saturday 25 February 2017.