Ringing Bells

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

I wanted to share a fun experience Jack and I had last week. I teach three youth at church organ lessons on Wednesday night at about 6:00. That night I was coming down with a cold and I didn’t feel my best but went into town anyway. Afterwards, I said to Jack, “Let’s go listen to the bells at St. Paul’s church.” They practice bell-ringing on Wednesday night at 7:30 and ring them at 9:30 Sunday morning. St. Paul’s church is where Hannah Parks and Charles Watson Rowntree are buried, and where they were married and the girls were christened. This was about the 5th church established in Christchurch. The original building was never intended to be permanent. It was built soon after the town was founded (early 1850’s). A new church was built in 1873 which still stands today. (Remember, Great Grandmother Jane Rowntree was born in 1868.) In about 1880, a prominent family donated 5 of the 8 bells to the church. Now these aren’t the bells we are used to. There are now 8. You stand in the tower in a circle, eight people each holding on to a rope. We know this because on that night, there was a man who had come from England to experience ringing the bells in Christchurch. He just walked in, so Jack and I did as well. We climbed the steps to the tower room and the people just kindly let us in and showed us “the ropes.” (That’s a little bell ringing humor.) There is a pattern and everyone knows the different patterns. They may start with one pattern and then change to the next. The only pattern I could discern was a scale starting at the top and coming down, over and over again. The other patterns were not patterns to me. It was just fun and afterwards, Jack and I stood outside and listened. “Hey Jack?” “What.” “We’re in New Zealand.”