Guild of St Magnus

Last updated

The Guild of St Magnus is a bell ringing guild formed in 2009, following the new installation of the bells at St Magnus-the-Martyr, with the main aim of ringing for Sunday services at St Magnus the Martyr. Guild members are often also members of other guilds and societies in London and support other bands of ringers including: Southwark Cathedral; St Martin-in-the-Fields; St Michael, Cornhill and St Olave Hart Street.

Contents

Home Tower

The Guild of St Magnus is based at St Magnus-the-Martyr, the Wren tower built in 1704 which houses a 26cwt ring of 12 bells. [1] The bells were cast during 2008/9 by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry and were consecrated by the Bishop of London on 3 March 2009 in the presence of the Lord Mayor [2] and the ringing dedicated on 26 October 2009 by the Archdeacon of London. [3]

Bells

The tower of St Magnus the Martyr Stmagnusthemartyr.jpg
The tower of St Magnus the Martyr

Prior to the Great Fire of 1666 the old tower had a ring of five bells. The new tower was completed in 1704 and in 1714 a ring of 8 bells was installed. These were increased to 10 in 1714 with the addition of 2 trebles given by two lost ringing Societies, the Eastern Youths and the British Scholars. The 10 bells were removed for safe keeping in 1940. After the War, the bells were cleaned whereupon four of them were found to be cracked. A lack of funds and enthusiasm for the bells led to them being scrapped in 1976.

A fund was set up on 19 September 2005, led by the Ancient Society of College Youths, with a view to installing a new ring of 12 bells in the tower in a new frame. The money was raised and the bells were cast during 2008/9 by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. They were consecrated by the Bishop of London on 3 March 2009 in the presence of the Lord Mayor [2] and the ringing dedicated on 26 October 2009 by the Archdeacon of London. [3] The bells project is recorded by an inscription in the vestibule of the church. [4]

Notable recent peals have included one of Stedman Cinques on 16 April 2011 to mark the 400th anniversary of the granting of a Royal Charter to the Plumbers' Company, a peal of Cambridge Surprise Royal on 28 June 2011 when the Fishmongers' Company gave a dinner for Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at their Hall on the occasion of his 90th birthday and a peal of Avon Delight Maximus on 24 July 2011 in solidarity with the people of Norway following the tragic massacre on Utoeya Island and in Oslo. [5] On the latter occasion the flag of the Orkney Islands was flown at half mast.

The BBC television programme Still Ringing After All These Years: A Short History of Bells, broadcast on 14 December 2011, included an interview at St Magnus with the Tower Keeper, Dickon Love. [6]

Ringing times

The bells at St Magnus-the-Martyr are currently rung by the guild every Sunday, following the service, around 12.10pm. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitechapel Bell Foundry</span> Defunct bell foundry in London, England

The Whitechapel Bell Foundry was a business in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. At the time of the closure of its Whitechapel premises, it was the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain. The bell foundry primarily made church bells and their fittings and accessories, although it also provided single tolling bells, carillon bells and handbells. The foundry was notable for being the original manufacturer of the Liberty Bell, a famous symbol of American independence, and for re-casting Big Ben, which rings from the north clock tower at the Houses of Parliament in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Taylor & Co</span> Bell foundry based in Loughborough

John Taylor Bell Foundry (Loughborough) Limited, trading as John Taylor & Co and commonly known as Taylor's Bell Foundry, Taylor's of Loughborough, or simply Taylor's, is the world's largest working bell foundry. It is located in Loughborough, in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. The business originated in the 14th century, and the Taylor family took over in 1784.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Perrott</span> Human settlement in England

South Perrott is a village and civil parish in northwest Dorset, England, 2 miles (3.2 km) southeast of Crewkerne. In 2012 the estimated population of the parish was 220. Figures from the 2011 census have been published for South Perrott parish combined with the neighbouring parish of Chedington; the population in these areas was 367.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Magnus the Martyr</span> Church in London, England

St Magnus the Martyr, London Bridge, is a Church of England church and parish within the City of London. The church, which is located in Lower Thames Street near The Monument to the Great Fire of London, is part of the Diocese of London and under the pastoral care of the Bishop of Fulham. It is a Grade I listed building. The rector uses the title "Cardinal Rector" and, since the abolition of the College of Minor Canons of St Paul's Cathedral in 2016, is the only cleric in the Church of England to use the title Cardinal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Peter Mancroft</span> Church in United Kingdom

St Peter Mancroft is a parish church in the Church of England, in the centre of Norwich, Norfolk. After the two cathedrals, it is the largest church in Norwich. It was originally established by the then Earl of East Anglia, Ralph de Gael between 1066 and 1075. It was later rebuilt, between 1430 and 1455. It stands on a slightly elevated position, next to the market place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Ben</span> Clock tower in London, England

Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England, and the name is frequently extended to refer also to the clock and the clock tower. The official name of the tower in which Big Ben is located was originally the Clock Tower, but it was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Michael and St George Cathedral, Makhanda</span> Church in Eastern Cape, South Africa

The Cathedral of St Michael and St George is the home of the Anglican Diocese of Grahamstown in Makhanda in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is the episcopal seat of the Bishop of Grahamstown. The cathedral is located on Church Square and has the tallest spire in South Africa 176 feet (54 m). The cathedral is dedicated to St Michael and St George and celebrates its patronal festival on the Sunday closest to Michaelmas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (Quebec)</span> Church in Quebec, Canada

The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity is the cathedral of the Anglican Diocese of Quebec. It is home to two parishes: the Parish of Quebec and la Paroisse de Tous les Saints. It stands on the western side of Quebec City's Place d'Armes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Phelps (bellfounder)</span> English bellfounder (c. 1670 – 1738)

Richard Phelps (c.1670–1738) was born in Avebury, Wiltshire, England. Phelps was a bellfounder, or a maker of bells, primarily for churches. He was master of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London from 1701 to 1738, and is best known for his large bell, Great Tom, in the steeple of St Paul's Cathedral in London, England. The foundry, in operation since at least 1570, was listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain.

John Warner and Sons was a metalworks and bellfoundry based in various locations in the UK, established in 1739 and dissolved in 1949.

The Central Council of Church Bell Ringers (CCCBR) is an organisation founded in 1891 which represents ringers of church bells in the English style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Portsea</span> Church in Hampshire, England

St Mary's Church is the main Church of England parish church for the areas of Portsea and Fratton, both located in the city of Portsmouth, Hampshire. Standing on the oldest church site on Portsea Island, the present building, amongst the largest parish churches in the country, has been described as the "finest Victorian building in Hampshire". It is at least the third church on the site and has been designated a Grade II* listed building by Historic England. Former regular worshippers here have included Charles Dickens, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and Cosmo Lang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Edmund's Church, Southwold</span> Church in Southwold, England

St Edmund's Church, Southwold is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England in Southwold, Suffolk.

The Royal Jubilee Bells are a set of eight bells that were cast for the church of St James Garlickhythe in the City of London, which were seen on television around the world leading the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant on 3 June 2012 for the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympic Bell</span>

The Olympic Bell was commissioned and cast for the 2012 London Olympic Games, and is the largest harmonically-tuned bell in the world. Cast in bronze bell metal, it is 2 metres high with a diameter of 3.34 metres, and weighs 22 long tons 18 cwt 3 qr 13 lb. The bell is now displayed in the Olympic Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Mildenhall</span> Church in Suffolk, England

St Mary's Church is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England in Mildenhall, Suffolk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Patrick's Church, Ballymena</span> Church in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland

St Patrick's Church is a Church of Ireland church, located on Castle Street, Ballymena, Northern Ireland. It is the main Parish Church in Ballymena's Anglican parish of Kirkinriola and Ballyclug, and is the main civic church of the town. The current church replaced an older church dating from the early 18th century on Church Street, and was opened in 1855. The new church was destroyed by fire in December 1879, and it was restored by the original builder, keeping to the same design. It reopened in 1881.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Saints Cathedral Bells</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

The All Saints Cathedral Bells are heritage-listed church bells at All Saints Anglican Cathedral, Church Street, Bathurst, Bathurst Region, New South Wales, Australia. They were built from 1853 to 1855 by John Warner and Sons, Crescent Foundry of London, England. They were added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 10 September 2004.

Campanology is the scientific and musical study of bells. It encompasses the technology of bells – how they are cast, tuned, and rung – as well as the history, methods, and traditions of bellringing as an art. Articles related to campanology include:

References

  1. "St Magnus the Martyr, London Bridge". London.lovesguide.com. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  2. 1 2 Ringing the changes: church to end its sixty year silence, photo with caption on p. 8 of Daily Telegraph issue no 47,821 (dated Wednesday 4 March 2009)
  3. 1 2 "Dedication of the Bells at St Magnus the Martyr". Ascy.org.uk. 2009-10-26. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  4. See also the photograph of the 11th bell in The Times , 11 February 2012, pp. 96–97
  5. "Felstead Database". Cccbr.org.uk. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  6. "BBC Four - Still Ringing After All These Years: A Short History of Bells". Bbc.co.uk. 2012-07-08. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  7. "The Bells of St Magnus the Martyr - St Magnus the Martyr, London Bridge". Stmagnusmartyr.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2016.