Discover the sounds of Norfolk's historic church bells
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Whilst there are several sources documenting church bells by their historical and numerical statistics, this interactive archive documents our county's historic bells like never before, but in such a way that recognises their principle function: their sound.
Developments in bellfounding and tuning have all played a part in gradually refining the sound of church bells over the centuries. However, the fate of the bells themselves often influence the sound of a particular tower. Older rings were often melted down to make new ones, redundant bells would be sold off to pay for vital church repairs, whereas other more wealthy towers would augment their existing bells with additional ones. Every tower tells a story. |
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Go on a 'virtual tower grab' |
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The archive is made up of hundreds of individual high-quality bell sounds recorded in full stereo to reflect the spatial differences and positioning of each bell in its respective tower.
The individual files are then programmed into Abel software, which simulates real ringing and even has the capacity to perform human imperfections in striking, further enhancing realism. To hear the sounds of a selection of towers programmed into Abel software, click on the video. |
Visit the Mancroft Ringing Discovery Centre in Norwich (see website for opening times) and ring on one of the state-of-the-art training bells to embark on a journey of our county's historic towers.
Simply choose from a list of over 50 towers and experience the archive from the end of a rope! |
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It's great to be able to hear the sounds of our own bells whilst ringing on the simulators.
Latest News
15/04/25
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29/05/24
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10/12/22
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07/03/20
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27/02/20
ITV Anglia News featurette filmed and edited by reporter Stuart Leithes: Recently added: |
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19/02/20
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09/02/20
Video: Recording the Bells of St. Catherine, Ludham Author: Terry McAree for Ludham Community Archive |
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29/01/20
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25/01/20
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- Barton Turf St. Michael & All Angels
- Cawston St. Agnes
- Felmingham St. Andrew
- Ludham St. Catherine
- Reepham St. Michael & All Angels
- Trimingham St. John the Baptist
29/01/20
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Photo: Denise Bradley
24/01/20
Article published by the Eastern Daily Press:
https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/chris-richmond-reaches-milestone-in-bell-ringing-project-1-6482032
Article published by the Eastern Daily Press:
https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/chris-richmond-reaches-milestone-in-bell-ringing-project-1-6482032
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Photo: Gary Standley
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