[Bell Historians] Diamond Jubelee bells on the BBC

[Richard Offen]

Well done all concerned! This must be the best bit of publicity change ringing has ever had. 

Rocking boats and water spray aside, the problems with noise and wind on the ropes sound much the same as those that used to be encountered with the Whitechapele Expo Belfry all those years ago.   At least you didn't lose the peal because a flock of geese flew through the circle, as happened at Saltburn, or have a elephant peeing on one of the ropes in the Thame Television studio! 

Good luck on Sunday. 

Richard

Sent from Richard Offen's iPad

On 29/05/2012, at 1:05 AM, "Dickon Love" <dickon at BwFRtlCrxO9Y0izd0E78JzCgvn7NXbdL57J-Ar--wIGUCjlpQ4reazOqpR5Iwo_5Lga7yNvGbzx3v0ssJUBt.yahoo.invalid> wrote:

> "I believe the only problem the band encountered was wind blowing the ropes
> around while the were ringing, but that is always a problem with outdoor
> portable rings. "
> 
> I wouldn't say that was the only problem, but it was a pretty major one.
> The boat rocked around, but was slow enough not to give the bells the same
> unpredictable jolt that rocking towers do. But we certainly had to pull and
> hold all the way through, which made it all quite hard work. The wind was a
> problem in so far as you could never really tell where the rope was going to
> fall, although this happened in fits and starts. Moving through the Thames
> Barrier was quite exciting as it felt like we had suddenly hit open sea and
> I had to get a message to the driver to slow the f* down! We were also
> getting sprayed by water, which actually, given how hot a day it was, was
> not entirely unpleasant.
> 
> It was probably one of the most stressful pieces of ringing I have ever
> done. Even right at the end the river was capable of depriving us of clean
> rounds at the "That's all". Fortunately it didn't, and now looking back at
> the many videos that seem to have been made of the peal at various points on
> the river (some on Youtube, others posted to me directly), I am astonished
> at the quality of the ringing in so far as it sounded easy!
> 
> The final thing to mention is the volume. Some of us wore ear plugs: others
> didn't feel they needed them. It is the first time I have rung on bells with
> no belfry walls around them. I have to say that they still sounded very
> musical with a lovely hum. The other memory is putting the ropes on in the
> blazing sunshine overlooking the O2!
> 
> DrL
> 
> 
           
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