Grandsire Maximus at Coventry Cathedral, W Mids

A couple of excerpts from the opening course of a quarter peal on this fine 12. A very reasonable effort for a mixed band, although Grandsire does tend to flow nicely (on all numbers!).

Coventry Cathedral is best known as a victim of World War II bombing in 1940, destroying almost all the building except the tower. A new Cathedral was built at right angles to the destroyed building, running North to South (instead of East-West!). Before it became a Cathedral in 1918, the “old” St Michael was one of the largest parish churches, and must have been quite a sight in its day. Even now, the spire rises to 295 feet, and can be seen for some distance.

The history of the bells is long and interesting. Shorthand, the current bells, cast by Gillett & Johnston of Croydon in 1927, replace an old ring of 10; these bells were cast by Pack & Chapman in 1774, albeit a few were subsequently recast themselves. These bells in turn had replaced an older eight, which themselves replaced an older six before them!

The current fourteen bells (12 + 6flat, and a sharp 9th) were originally hung for chiming – a proposed detached campanile was never built. Miraculously, the bells survived the Coventry Blitz, and were hung for ringing in 1987 by Taylors. A new ringing room was built, a few steps up the tower, and a large glass window allows the ringing to be viewed by those wandering round the Cathedral ruins! The bells handle extremely well and sound magnificent, albeit slightly too quiet for my liking.

Thanks to Tim, Josh and Aaron for allowing me to rip off their photos – numpty here didn’t take any (apart from the opening shot)! :P A fuller history of the bells can be found on Mike Chester’s excellent website below:
http://warksbells.co.uk/index.php/c-e...

Tenor 33-3-6 in Dflat