Bellringing at Worcester Cathedral
Church bells are the biggest and loudest musical instruments in the world. They are rung for worship, for state and civic events, to celebrate, to commemorate, to mourn, and simply for the enjoyment of hearing their sound. English changeringing is a performing art with a 400-year-old heritage.
The Cathedral’s bells were cast at Taylor's of Loughborough in 1928 as a Great War memorial under the direction of Dean Moore-Ede. The 16 Cathedral's bells are the fifth heaviest ringing peal in the world and are regarded as one of the finest ringing peals ever cast. The bells are part of the aural landscape of the City of Worcester.
The Cathedral is the only church in the world to have a ring of ten bells in a harmonic minor key. These are rung half-muffled for special days or events: for example, Good Friday, the Armistice, Remembrance Sunday, and New Year’s Eve.
The Worcester Cathedral Guild of Bellringers is one of the largest ringing bands in the UK and is internationally recognised for their work teaching. The Guild comprises 40 members and ten regular visitors who voluntarily give their time, talents, and funds to the Cathedral.
The tower houses the first Teaching Centre for Bellringing in the world in 2008. Using dumbbells linked to computers, the physical experience of ringing bell creates a perfect ringing environment for the pupil.
Ringing Times
The bells are rung by the Guild every Sunday morning and on Christmas Day between 09.30 and 10.30, and on some Sundays (usually once a month) for an hour before Evensong. We practise on most Monday evenings between 6:30pm and 9:15pm, and the Young Ringers practice on Saturday mornings either at the Cathedral or other city towers. For a list of the peals for special occasions see below. We welcome competent visiting ringers subject to safeguarding protocols.
More information about the Worcester Cathedral Guild of Bellringers can be found at their website.
In addition to ringing on Sunday mornings and Christmas Day, there will also be peals on the following dates:
Saturday 20 January 1000 - 1400:
For the feast of St. Wulfstan
Saturday 3 February 1000 - 1400:
For St. Agatha (the patron saint of bellringers)
Friday 29 March 1530 - 1930:
Half-muffled on the minor 10 for Good Friday
Monday 1 April 1000 - 1400:
For Easter
Monday 27 May 1000 - 1400:
For Oak Apple Day
Saturday 10 August 1000 - 1400:
For the Worcester Festival
Sunday 10 November 1115 - 1515:
Half-muffled on the minor 10 for Armistice Day
Saturday 30 November 1000 - 1400:
For Advent
Saturday 21 December 1000 - 1400:
For Christmas
Tuesday 31 December 1800 - 2200:
Half-muffled on the minor 10 to mark the passing of the old year
Cathedral bells, Christmas Day 2020
Experience the sight and sounds from the tower of Worcester Cathedral as our bells rang on Christmas Day for the first time since the first lockdown, in this short video:
