St Mary Magdalene
New Bells for Richmond
WHO WE ARE
We are a small group of bell ringers of various levels of experience with the common purpose of supporting the work of St Mary Magdalene church.
Three of our members joined us through the campaign to recruit newcomers to ‘Ring for the King’ in celebration of the coronation of King Charles III. It is to their great credit that they have persevered despite the difficulties of the Richmond bells and now ring regularly on Sunday mornings. Two other ringers have resumed and rekindled their interest after long absences.
We are grateful for the support of ringers from other local towers who regularly join our practice sessions and sometimes boost our numbers on Sundays. We have an arrangement with All Hallows, Twickenham to practise with them once a month and we welcome their ringers to St Mary’s.
Richmond ringers with friends from local towers on their summer outing to the Cotswolds
When do we ring?
You can hear us ring on Sunday mornings from 9 until 9.30am to announce the morning service. We practice on Tuesday evenings to extend the repertoire and improve the quality of our ringing. We are frequently called upon to ring for occasions of national celebration or remembrance, as well as weddings, funerals and other special parish occasions. Regular performances include the Christmas service of nine lessons and carols and the opening of the Richmond May Fair.
Training
We are also grateful to the training team at Barnes who have willingly given instruction to would-be Richmond ringers in the early stages of their learning. Barnes is admired throughout the area for the smooth running of the bells and the dedication of their trainers.
Are you interested in learning to ring? Perhaps you have been a bell ringer in the past – whether the distant past or recently? Would you like to join us? Some of our group learned to ring as teenagers and have recently come back to ringing – it is possible to revive the skill.
What else do we do?
Bell ringing is an absorbing and sociable activity and our ringers take part in training sessions, both locally and with the Surrey District. We go on day-long outings when we ring at a variety of churches and occasionally on longer trips, typically over a weekend. An outing will always include a pub lunch and afternoon tea and cake. As ringers become more accomplished they may want to ring quarter peals – approximately 45 minutes ringing a particular pattern, known as a method.
The best ringers sometimes ring a peal – approximately three hours of ringing. Another well established bell ringing tradition is the practice night ‘debrief’ in the local pub where advice and anecdotes are freely exchanged. Bell ringing is a great way to make friends and get established in the local community.
If you would like to learn to ring or return to ringing, please contact us at smmringers@gmail.com
A few of our stories
Thomas Ashwin-Siejkowski is 20 and has advanced impressively in his ringing and now rings at a number of towers in south west London and has rung at Windsor Castle
My love of bell ringing began when I was three or four, sitting outside St David’s cathedral in Pembrokeshire as the bells rang. The sound left a lasting impression and sparked my fascination. Later I discovered recordings of intricate and beautifully precise bell performances online which deepened my appreciation for the patterns, rhythms and musicality of ringing. For someone neurodivergent like me, the structured and predictable nature of the craft is especially satisfying. Richmond bells are famously hard work requiring focus, stamina and coordination making every practice and performance a real challenge.
Alison Jackson is an experienced musician and teacher of piano and trumpet and plays in an orchestra
I started ringing at St Mary’s in 2022 having no idea that the bells were so difficult to ring. I only found this out when I started going to other towers to practise and found them much easier. I have enjoyed every second of learning in Richmond with such an experienced, considerate and helpful team but I have certainly found it one of the hardest things I have ever done: every bell is different and you have to learn to ring them all. How I wish I had started earlier!
Michael Li is a retired dentist who inquired about learning to ring after visiting the church on a tower open day.
It was the wonderful sound of bells on a Sunday morning at St Mary’s which drew me to bell ringing. After 18 months of learning and practising I can now ring with the band of seven others on a Sunday morning. I have always found the bell ringers, some of whom have been ringing for decades, welcoming and supportive. If anyone is interested in bell ringing, why not give it a go!
