A BAND of 13 ringers accomplished a record-breaking double peal at Exeter Cathedral on Saturday, ringing 10,001 changes in eight hours and 12 minutes with out a break.
Their efforts, in celebration of the 800th anniversary of the Chapter House and the completion of recent renovation works, have raised greater than £3000 for a recent sound system within the nave — triple the unique goal set through Just Giving.
Exeter Cathedral is home to the second heaviest ring of bells hung for change ringing on the earth: the tenor bell weighs greater than 3.5 tonnes. It was the heaviest double peal ever to have been rung. The ring of 12 was mastered by 13 experienced ringers — two of whom took turns with the tenor bell.
The Ringing Master of the Exeter Cathedral Society of Ringers, Matthew Hilling, said this week that the ringers had met early and started the double peal at 8.13 a.m. The participants were capable of eat and drink while ringing.
“A consistent rhythm and beat was set from the very starting,” he said. “After three hours, most of the ringers were looking drained: a whole lot of effort had already been put in, and we weren’t yet on the halfway point.”
Exeter CathedralExeter Cathedral
The double peal asked for “more concentration and determination”, and the psychological relief of passing halfway — 4 hours and 6 minutes — was felt by all. “The ringing proceeded in a metronomic fashion with all of the ringers looking for more energy. Finally, the top was in sight and the ultimate push through the pain.”
At 4.45 p.m., “aching limbs brought the bells back into the identical order as we began. Job done. Congratulations to everyone involved.”
