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The Suffolk Guild of Ringers for the Diocese of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich


Picture of the Cathedral Church of St James, Bury St Edmunds

Cathedral Church of St James & St Edmund

The Suffolk Guild of Ringers serves most of the county of Suffolk. However, there are a few towers in the extreme north-east of the county that belong to the Norwich Diocesan Association.

The Suffolk Guild of Ringers was founded in 1923 to look after bellringing in the new Diocese of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich and Charles Sedgley was its first Ringing Master. It now has over 600 members. There are 258 churches with 4 or more bells hung for change ringing, 178 of which are ringable.

Suffolk has the oldest ring of 8 bells in the world (Horham, 1672) and the heaviest ring of 5 in the world (East Bergholt, 26cwt). East Bergholt bells have another claim to fame in that it requires a rather special technique to ring them. The bells are hung in a frame at ground level and are rung by a handle carved into the headstock of each bell. The heaviest bell in Suffolk hung for change ringing lives at St Mary-Le-Tower in Ipswich and weighs 35 cwt.

The Guild, through the Belfry Advisory Committee, actively supports the maintenance and restoration of bells; giving practical help and advice, and grant aiding major projects for full-circle ringing.

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If you would like to learn to ring, please contact:

What's On
in the next month

For full details please see What's On

February

Tuesday 9th

Mid-week Ringing.Ufford & Wickham Market

Saturday 13th - Sunday 21st February

Guild Peal Week.

Saturday 13th

NW District Practice.Bardwell

Saturday 13th

NE District Quarterly Meeting.Aldeburgh & Leiston

Saturday 20th

Guild Management Committee.Stowupland

Saturday 27th

SW District Practice.Polstead

Sunday 28th

Triples from Scratch.Sudbury, St Gregory

March

Thursday 4th

NE District Practice.Blythburgh

Saturday 6th

SE District Meeting.Ipswich, St Lawrence & St Mary‑le‑Tower

Tuesday 9th

Mid-week Ringing.Bures & Wormingford

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http://www.suffolkbells.org.uk