The bells are an excellent Taylor eight, cast 29^th June 1990. We still refer to these as the ‘new’ bells, as they replaced an earlier octave. They are hung in an 1898 Warner metal bell-frame with a mixture of 1969 and 1990 fittings. The tenor is 15-0-16 (769 kg) and sounds F#, so it is heavy for its note. Essendon tenor is nearly identical in weight and cast the same year, but sounds a semitone deeper.

The ring is the product of the 1989-93 New Bells & Clock Project, which cost £36,600, of which a major part was given by local ringers. Details of this project may be found in the cover article of the ‘Ringing World’ March 29, 1991.

1549 Church inventory records four bells, one cast 1470

1571 Johanes Grene recast two bells (old 6^th & 7^th)

1574 Grene added a bell to make five (old 4^th)

1612 Robert Oldfield recast old 5^th and tenor

1898 Warner’s added a new treble (old 3^rd), making six

1903 Warner’s added two bells to make eight, tenor 13 cwt.

1969 Taylor’s rehung the octave on new fittings

1990 Taylor’s cast a new, heavier octave from the old one.

Old tenor and 5^th kept as sanctus and clock bells

Harpenden has been lucky in having a very active band for the last three decades. For most of that time it has numbered between 15 and 25 HCA members, frequently with the capability of ringing Spliced Surprise Major. We have been lucky to have keen and highly capable Ringing Masters such as Alan Patterson, Charles Pocock, Bernard Taylor and Richard Tibbetts.

The band is a well-established one, with membership of a decade or more being quite common, and our two senior members (Leslie & Amy Coburn) have over a century’s service between them. It has three HCA Presidents (Eric Edmondson, Amy Coburn and Sheila Edmondson), three ‘Thousand-Pealers’ (Eric Edmondson, Richard Tibbetts and Bernard Taylor), and five married couples (Coburns, Darbys, Edmondsons, Harpers and Pococks). We also have a priest, John Orme, who came to Harpenden to retire, but has found himself taking most of the services!

Like most bands we could do with a few more recruits, and a few more young people. We have taught a fair number over the years, but the retention rate is low. Our main successes have been the children of ringers!

We ring twice every Sunday, before the 9.45 Eucharist and the 6.30 Evensong. Occasionally there are Sunday afternoon services, such as the annual Civic Service, for which we also ring. Some Sunday evenings are missed, when there is no service at St. Nicholas’, usually because of a joint service with another of the Harpenden churches.

On the first Sunday of the month we usually attempt a Quarter Peal, a policy which has contributed towards a total of over a hundred rung on the new bells.

Wedding ringing is very popular, with most summer Saturdays having at least two, and Fridays are now quite common. We charge a Saturday fee of £10 per ringer and a Friday fee of £12 per ringer. We normally ring a touch of 500 Grandsire or Stedman Triples.

Our practice night is Wednesday and attendance ranges from 6 to 20. On a good night we can expect to ring several Surprise Major methods. The basics are not neglected however, with rounds and plain hunt also rung frequently. Visitors are always welcome, not only to ring, but also to see the bells from our viewing platform above the bell-frame.

Visiting bands come occasionally, but the frequency of weddings and the Saturday morning services make it difficult to welcome them as often as we’d like. For those interested in evening visits, Monday is probably the best day, with Wednesdays and Fridays impossible.

The tower is well worth a visit. Fifty steps up the spiral staircase lead to a viewing platform from which the bells can be seen ringing (ear defenders supplied!). Above them are hung the 1612 sanctus and clock bells, and also on view is ROVER, our sound control system (Ringer Operated Volume Enhancer and Reducer).

In the intermediate room (our ‘museum’) is the 1851 Tucker clock, a change-ringing simulator, the church handbells and various historical bits and pieces. A few handbell peals have been rung here.

The ringing room is at the west end of the church, hidden behind the organ. It is rather dominated by monuments, put here when the church was rebuilt mid-19^th century, and so there is not much wall space for ringing paraphernalia. One monument, however, is newer, and testifies to David Dellar, a ringer here for 50 years. Two large peal boards record the first two local band peals (1913 and 1965), and a number of smaller ones are mounted on the organ case. There is just space for a few photos of the 1990 project.

As the bells are rung from the ground floor there is 40 feet of rope between ringers and bells, but it is well-guided, and does not present a problem. (When you ring here, think back over a century to the original five, which were rung from the same spot but had no rope guides.) The bottom set of guides are the older, the top ones being added in 1990.

The ringing room was carpeted in 1991 and has suffered three flash floods since!

For the past 25 years the bells have been available for peals on a monthly basis, with Saturday evening being the preferred time to avoid services and weddings. A good sound control system has helped ensure an absence of complaints.

Over 200 peals have been rung at St.Nicholas’, starting in 1904 after they became an octave. The first local band peal was in 1913, the second in 1965, and in the last three decades they have been a common occurrence. A hundred peals have now been achieved on the new bells, representing an annual average of 11.

Peals have varied from the standard (Stedman Triples being the most popular) to the complicated (23-Spliced Surprise Major). A number of methods have been rung for the first time, and also several compositions, including 6-Spliced Triples and Erin Triples. Several have been non-conducted, including two by the local band.

The longest peal rung was 12,096 changes of Jevington Surprise Major in 1993, which marked the completion of the Bells and Clock Project.

The leading peal ringers are, or have been, local ringers - Sheila Edmondson, Bernard Taylor, Eric Edmondson, Richard Tibbetts, Charles Pocock, David Darby, Christine Darby and Alan Patterson have all rung over 40 on the bells.

The bells are at their best at 29 cpm – 2h54m for 5040 changes – but peal times on the new bells have ranged between 2h40m and 3h6m.

Visiting bands are welcome to come for a peal – the current charge is £20, that is, £2.50 per rope.

The church possesses a set of 30 handbells, which appear to be Warners’, and probably date from 1900. They are now rarely used, in part because the active handbell ringers in Harpenden all have their own sets.

There have been three recent periods of handbell activity. In 1968-9 16 peals were rung at Overstone Road, mostly conducted by Brian Woodruffe. In 1992-3 a group rang peals in the church or hall, the highlight being a peal of Little Bob Maximus. In 1999 a series of Spliced Minor peals have been conducted by Bernard Taylor.

By recent tradition, we ring changes on handbells at the Christmas Carol Service.

St.Nicholas, Harpenden

HCACR St. Albans District

HCACR Home Page

Last updated 10th November 1999