Contact: Collin Nicholson Tel: 01777 871193

History

Handbell ringing began in Ordsall at the end of the nineteenth century.  (The bells were cast in Loughborough in 1896.)  They were a useful way for the tower bell ringers to practice changes somewhere warmer than the tower.

Handbell ringing then took off in its own right.  Music was bought - and copied out by hand.  But in 1914 most of the team went into the forces and the bells were put away.  They were given into the safekeeping of the verger, Mr White, who stored them under his bed.  There they stayed, apart from an occasional outing, until after the Second World War.

Then the bells were rediscovered.  A new team was formed, the music copied onto more durable paper, and the bells renovated.  From their first public engagement at Ordsall Garden party in 1950 the team has gone from strength to strength.  They have been renovated again in 2003.

However, sadly, the group has had to take a break (2005).  We hope they will be up and ringing again soon.

The Ordsall Parish Handbell Ringers are part of the Handbell Ringers of Great Britain (No. 44). 

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