The bells of Victoria’s Christ Church Cathedral rang for an extended period on the morning of July 12 as the cathedral marked the 90th anniversary of its first ringing.
Beginning at 9:30 a.m., members of the Cathedral Guild of Ringers performed a quarter peal — a 45-minute change-ringing performance involving 1,260 unique bell sequences.
The 10 ringers – each assigned to a specific bell – used the same technique believed to have been used during the original performance when the bells were first rung in 1936.
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The cathedral’s original eight bronze bells were cast at London’s Whitechapel Bell Foundry in 1935 as replicas of the bells at Westminster Abbey. They were shipped to Victoria, installed in 1936 and first rung on July 12 of that year.
Two smaller treble bells were added in 1983 and dedicated in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II. The cathedral’s bells, which weigh between 225 and 1,498 kilograms, are housed in the north tower’s belfry, accessible by a 71-step spiral staircase.
Change ringing is a centuries-old English tradition that requires precision, coordination and teamwork, with ringers performing a series of mathematical patterns rather than melodies, said long-time bell ringer Susan Benzon.
“It’s a fairly complicated method because the bells are set on wheels and they’re pulled by ropes,” she said. “It takes a while to learn how to do it.”
“I have rung the heaviest bell, but I couldn’t ring it for a long length of time since it is quite demanding.”
Susan Benzon has been a bell ringer since she was 11 years old. (Olivier Laurin/Victoria News)
Originally from Cambridgeshire, England, Benzon started learning the ropes of bell ringing at age 11 in her local parish, following in her father’s footsteps. After moving to Canada in the 90s, Benzon joined the Christ Church Cathedral Bell Ringers’ Guild and has performed there ever since.
Besides demanding a variety of skills, from the physicality required to ring for hours to the keen musical ear needed to follow strict rhythms, Benzon said that perhaps the most important ability of a bell ringer is concentration.
Standing in a room with fellow ringers, everyone must carefully follow the lead of the conductor, sometimes sharing instructions in total silence with only eye contact to guide them.
“You’ve got to concentrate absolutely 100 per cent on what you’re doing,” she said, noting the lapse of time between each rope and the bell’s ring must be taken into account. “It’s not like any other musical instrument; when you know you’ve made a mistake, you hear it later.”
Historically used to call people to worship and mark the time, the bells continue to ring before Sunday services and for special occasions, including weddings, funerals and civic events.
Today, Christ Church Cathedral is one of only seven sites in Canada where live change ringing is regularly performed.
While bell ringing might be an art form growing rarer by the day, Benzon said perhaps the best aspect of it is the sense of community it gives performers.
“Like many things, there’s a component of being with a group of people that you enjoy being with,” she said.
The next public demonstration of the bells is scheduled for Aug. 15 during the cathedral’s annual block party.
For more information about the Christ Church Cathedral, visit christchurchcathedral.bc.ca.
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