Bells ringing from St. Michaels Maidstone

[simonbellringer]

These sound quite nice!!

[stevetadams1963]

Used to wake to this every Sunday when i lived in Tovil Maidstone Miss the sound

[1BODGER95]

These sound remarkably similar to the eight at My home tower, Whitechapel, 1955, but a lighter version. LOL.

[l176bx]

is this the church on St Michael's Rd, off Upper Fant? I used to live a few houses away for a while - 30 years ago! The ringing always woke me up on a Sunday. I wouldn't have minded, but it was awful - I guess they've had a bit of practice since then!

[corrick1980]

nice ring of bells

[peencre12]

This is an Catholic church????

[1BODGER95]

I believe not.

[irkibby]

No. Church of England

[sizzlemush]

i live right near there !

[tintinnabulum87]

'Half-muffled' bells are rung only for funeral?

[irkibby]

they are used for funerals and sad occasions, like war memorial events

[engineerm81]

Beautiful .. the love the churches bells

[utrapzab]

in bred racist weirdo town, good people of the general public - stay away from englands sphincter. horrible disgusting place, very ugly people.

[BrynMawrYamBag]

It this the church in the part of town where you almost walk through the cemetery to get too the movie theater if you park near the church?? My ex-crotch...oops..wife was from Coxheath and we used to go to the movies there a lot.

[ProfMoose]

I like this. Not usually a fan of 1/2muffed. Grandsire rung too slow with bad striking...ughhhhh. Bit this has a feeling of life about it. While retaining a sense of sadness there is still joy in it. Great stuff.

Moose

[bigukg1]

who's sad enough to film this?

[foolsgold6619]

I used to play around st michaels when i was a kid.i remember father gibbons,lol.

[24308548]

It is the most poignant sound I think, when I rang for a uneral one time, half muffled, brings a tear to the eye

[emmlem]

lol i cn hear them 2 pretty sound in the summer standin by my bedroom window

[nathandawson]

I do live near here and I can here them everyday!!

[muchlove007]

i used to live near there.

[bagpiper2005]

I've been ringing since I was 10 and have NEVER heard half-muffled bells! So this is what they sound like? Kind of spooky sounding, but unique and pretty at the same time.

[clapperend]

Uve never heard half muffled bells??? I knw u ave been ringing since u were 10 but wat age r u knw???

[bagpiper2005]

I'm 20.

[clapperend]

Uve been ring 10 years and ave never heard half muffled bell??? :O were do u ring?

[bagpiper2005]

I'm from North America...we don't have diddly when it comes to ringing...only 40-something towers and none of the ones I've been to have ever rung half-muffled.

[clapperend]

O rite, cool so wt do u ring???

[SrWilson]

Usually half muffled is rung for more morbid occassions sad occasions or something like that or just for a special peal although I know alot do it for the hell of it because it sounds better.

I heard from one of my fellow ringers that fully muffled bells can only be rung when the monach ie queen dies is this true?

[irkibby]

It's probably one of those old folklore things to fully muffle when a monarch dies and hes probably right... I think ive read about fully muffled peals for the death of Queen Victoria

[northumberlandgirl]

how do you ring half muffled? is it a type of bell or they way you ring it?

[irkibby]

It's kind of the way it is rung... in full circle change ringing, the clapper strikes the bell once per revolution. By tying a piece of leather to one side of the ball of the clapper (the part that strikes the bell), the sound when the clapper hits the bell on that revolution is muffled, and a contrast between it and the normal strike can be heard.

[waltzplayer]

I love the cound of half muffled, and it makes people listen a bit more so the striking gets better :)

[clapperend]

o i love ringing half-muffled! they do sound better!

[mjgriff74]

Never heard half-muffled before so great vid!

[SrWilson]

am I the only one who thinks half muffled ringing sounds better than regular ringing?

[irkibby]

half muffled ringing- beautiful