Bell Ringing at Carfax Tower, Oxford

The final tower of the Lilliputters Guild Christmas Outing was the heavy, old-fashioned six at Carfax Tower. Amongst the other touches we rang here, the Bourne and call changes are featured here.
The bells were cast by Richard Keene of Woodstock in 1676, replacing an older ring of 5. They sound very good indeed, and handle fairly well, although they are hung on plain bearings and do need a bit of pulling! The first peal here was not until 1965, and the first three peals were Cambridge Minor!

Carfax Tower is all that remains of St Martin’s church, which was demolished in 1896 to make way for traffic. Standing at 74 feet (23 m) tall, the tower is the tallest building in central Oxford, and nothing may be built higher than it.

Amongst the other touches we rang here, the Bourne and call changes are featured – also giving a clear view of David, Euan and my matching Christmas jumpers. Talking of fashion sense, check out Andrew’s new headgear at the end!...

Tenor 15-0-22 in F.