Horsted Keynes, The Campanile

8 bells, 19lb 8oz in D.

The Campanile at Horsted Keynes was hung on Wednesday 21st August 2024 and work completed and the bells made ringable on Friday 23rd August 2024, following its relocation from Aylsham in Norfolk where it has been called 'The John of Gaunt Ring'. The bells were cast in 2021 by Matthew Higby & Co, and has a tenor of 19lb 8oz and tuned to 'D'. The ring had been commissioned in 2019 by Ollie, in memory of his grandparents Molly & Peter, who had both died in March of that year. Their names are inscribed onto the treble and second bells' waists. The bells had been collected in December 2021, and stored at Horsted Keynes, prior to their move and hanging in Norfolk. In Norfolk, they were hung in October 2022 by Michael Clements and Ollie Watson, and rung for the first time on Tuesday 11th October; details of the first ring can be found here (https://bb.ringingworld.co.uk/view.php?id=1556933). During the following two years, the Society of Aylsham Campanile Youths was formed, and met to ring quarter peals on the mini ring fortnightly on a Tuesday evening. The first quarter peal on the bells was on Monday 17th October 2022 and comprised of 1344 changes of Plain Bob Major, conducted by James Kirkcaldy of Exeter Cathedral and was rung in 43 minutes. The band comprised of ringers from Norfolk, Cumbria, Devon, Jersey and New Zealand. Details of the first quarter peal on the bells can be found here (https://bb.ringingworld.co.uk/view.php?id=1664364). The first peal on the bells was on Saturday 13th January 2024 and comprised of 5056 changes of Plain Bob Major, conducted by Colin F Salter of Ipswich and was rung in 2 hours and 18 minutes. Details of the first peal on the bells can be found here (https://bb.ringingworld.co.uk/view.php?id=1689342).

On Friday 6th September 2024, 'The Campanile' at Horsted Keynes were rung for the first time, to a quarter peal of 1260 changes of Grandsire Triples, conducted by Fraser Storie of Addington, and was rung in 35 minutes. The band comprised of members of the Sussex County Association of Change Ringers, in particular John R Norris, who donated the new ceiling bosses for The Campanile, and taught Ollie to ring in 2012 at Hurstpierpoint. It was on his mini ring, 'The Wickham Ring', that Ollie rang his first quarter peal. Details of the Grandsire Triples quarter peal can be found here (https://bb.ringingworld.co.uk/view.php?id=1767854). The second quarter peal of the try-out afternoon was 1260 changes of Cambridge Surprise Minor, conducted by Fraser Storie of Addington, and was rung in 33 minutes. Details of the quarter peal can be found here (https://bb.ringingworld.co.uk/view.php?id=1767867).

During September 2024, after the try-out afternoon on Friday 6th, more work was undertaken to the installation to improve the acousics and ringing characteristics of the bells. The clappers were stripped of their felts and padding, and the padding of the clapper strike was changed. Instead of the clapper balls having padding on to soften the strike, the clapper balls and now unpadded, and back to their original acrylic balls. Instead, foam padding has been attached to the inside of the bell soundbow, just below the strike point. This allows the clapper to strike with the unpadded clapper, and then rise off of the bell to allow it to hum. The result has been quite satisfactory. There are plans underway to cut and install a sound grate in the middle of the rope circle to raise the volume of the bells in the ringing room. A local contractor for this job has been sourced and it will be installed soon.

Below are the logs of the quarter peals rung at The Campanile. Whilst online logs are kept of the quarter peals and peals, a full log of all the performances on the bells is kept in writing in a 'Viggers Ringing Records' book, availible from 'The Ringing World'. The recorded details includes; Peals, Quarter Peals, General Ringing and Visitors. The logs to back to when the bells were hung in Aylsham, Norfolk, and the bells first rung.