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Barrow Bells - Event Calendar

RINGING AT ST JAMES

When do the bells typically ring?

For more information about our regular weekly ringing, please visit the REGULAR RINGING SCHEDULE page.

In addition to regular ringing there are weddings and other services; civic/national events to mark; visiting ringers; tower open days; bellringers meetings; quarter peals and peals; and other occasions when the bells are rung. Most are relatively infrequent and short (less than 1 hour continuous ringing), although occasionally there can be more than 1 wedding or event in a day, a branch/association meeting lasting 2 hours, or a peal lasting 3 hours.

We try to notify the public, local residents and community in advance of any planned additional (non-regular) ringing at St James' Tower as follows...

  1. All planned extra ringing of any duration will be notified in the calendar on this Events web page; alongside other ringing events outside Barrow. Ringing at St James, Barrow will be repeated and highlighted in a summary table (see below)
  2. All planned extra ringing for continuous period in excess of 1 hour:
    Residents in houses immediately opposite the church on Blake Street, Adelaide Street and Hartington Street will receive leaflet informing of the extended ringing.
    Sometimes we will also notify the North West Evening Mail, BBC Radio Cumbria, & The Bay Radio (bay action), e.g. for particular special occasions, and where the public are invited to come along and find out more. [however as independent businesses they may decide not to publish/broadcast anything]


Summary of Planned Additional or Special Ringing at St James, plus any tower social events

Mon 27th January 202515 minsapprox. 6pm to 6.15pm

Tolling Tenor Half Muffled for Holocaust Memorial Day

Sun 2nd February 202530 minsapprox. 6pm to 6.30pm

Service Ringing for Candlemas Choral Evensong

Sun 23rd February 2025approx. 1 hourapprox. 5pm to 6pm

Quarter Peal attempt with benefactor of bell restoration in 2014

Sat 8th March 20255 hoursapprox. 9am to 2pm

Meandyring Ramble

Swinside Stone Circle from Duddon Bridge + Lunch (ahead of the Furness Branch Ringing Meeting at Broughton)

Mon 10th March 2025approx. 1 hourapprox. 10.30am to 11.30am

Quarter Peal - by group of visiting ringers

Fri 11th April 2025approx. 1 hourapprox. 5pm to 6pm

Quarter Peal attempt (half muffled) in memory of the late grandfather of one of our ringers.

Sat 12th April 20253 hoursapprox. 9.30am to 12.30pm

Meandyring Ramble

Sea Wood and Birkrigg Stone Circle plus Roy's Ices (ahead of Furness Branch Ringing Meeting at Ulverston)

Thu 24th April 2025approx. 1 hour12.30 to 1.30pm

Visiting ringers 'Cumbrian Codgers'.

Thur 8th May 2025approx. 40 minsapprox. 4.45pm to 5.25pm

VE Day 80th Anniversary Ringing

Ringing as the parade and public arrive for the town's VE Day service.



Series of 'Firings' and a quarter peal after the service

approx. 1 hourapprox. 6.30pm to 7.30pm
Sat 10th May 20252 hoursapprox. 10.30am to 12.30pm

Pitch'n'Putt

At Rampside 10 hole par 3 course, just for fun! followed by lunch at venue TBD

Sat 10th May 20252 hoursapprox. 2.30pm to 4.30pm

Furness Branch Ringing Meeting

Furness and South Lakeland Branch of LACR visit Barrow for a ringing meeting followed by ringers tea and Wombel.

Sat 23rd June 2025approx. 3 hoursafternoon TBD

Peal attempt at for Dave Day 2025

Tue 1st July 2025approx. 30 mins12.15 to 12.45pm

Visiting ringers from Kingston-upon-Thames and area.


* approximate times

FULL CALENDAR - All ringing and social events at St James and elsewhere

DateLengthTimeLocationDescription
Monday 27th January 20250.25 hoursapprox. 6pm to 6.15pmBARROW

Tolling Tenor (Half-Muffled) for Holocaust Memorial Day

Tolling the heaviest (tenor) bell half-muffled, i.e. alternately muffled (in memory) and open/loud and bright (prayer for better future).

General public can hear the bell being tolled across the local community, especially closer to the church.

Bell will be raised before tolling commences, and then tenor bell will then toll slowly approximately 80 times representing 80 years since Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi concentration and death camp was liberated on 27th January 1945. The tolling will alternate metal on metal then muffled with piece of leather (40 times each).

The bell will then be lowered again after the tolling. Raising and lowering the bell rings more rapidly.

A candle will shine in one of the tower windows during the commemorative HMD activity.

Sunday 2nd February 20250.5 hoursapprox. 6pm to 6.30pmBARROW

Service Ringing

For Candlemas Choral Evensong

Friday 21st February 2025~3 hoursapprox. 2pm to 5pmKirkby in Furness

Peal

Attempt to ring a full peal of Bristol Surprise Major

Sunday 23rd February 20251 hour5pm to 6pmBARROW

Quarter Peal

St Clement's College Bob Minor for local band and with visiting benefactor from the bell-restoration that was completed almost 11 years ago

Saturday 8nd March 20255 hoursapprox. 9am to 2pmBroughton

Meandyring Ramble and Lunch

Swinside Stone Circle from Duddon Bridge + Lunch (ahead of the Furness Branch Ringing Meeting at Broughton)

Monday 10th March 20251 hourapprox. 10.30am to 11.30amBARROW

Quarter Peal

A group of visiting bellringers from Milverton benefice in West Somerset are visiting to ring a quarter peal.

Friday 11th April 20251 hour5pm to 6pmBARROW

Quarter Peal

Half-muffled Plain Bob Triples in memoriam for Paul Goodwin who passed away on 6th April 2025 aged 65, grandfather of one of our ringers.

Saturday 12th April 20253 hoursapprox. 9.30am to 12.30pmBardsea

Meandyring Ramble and Lunch

Sea Wood and Birkrigg Stone Circle plus Roy's Ices (ahead of Furness Branch Ringing Meeting at Ulverston)

Thursday 24th April 20251 hourapprox. 12.20pm to 1.30pmBARROW

Visiting Ringers

A group of visiting bellringers "Cumbrian Codgers" plan to ring for an hour at Barrow

Thursday 8th May 20251 hourapprox. 6.30pm to 7.30pmBARROW

VE Day 80th Anniversary

Series of 'Firings' (where all 8 bells ring at same time instead of in sequence) and a Quarter Peal of Grandsire Triples to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) Day 8th May 1945 as part of a national event - see CCCBR VE Day

Tower logbook transcript recording the events from the 8th May 1945:

"At the beginning of May 1945 it was clear that the end of the War in Europe was close at hand. The Allies were victorious in every phase of the War.
It was only to be expected that when the day of peace arrived, the bells of all the churches in the land should ring out to celebrate the event
The actual announcement of the cessation of hostilities was made on the 9p.m news of May 7th 1945. and some towers in the district rang then and there that night.
We made an arrangement on the previous Sunday to all turn up at the tower one hour after the announcement was made, but owing to the lateness of the hour many considered it advisable to defer the ringing until the morning. Mr Limb however turned up about 9.30pm and rang the bells up ready for us but as no one else turned up he perforce had to ring them down again. In the process he had attracted about 50 people to the church where a short service was arranged to give expression to the general thankfulness.
On the following day Tuesday May 8th 1945 the assembled ringers rang a series of firings and a course of Grandsire Triples

812 Grandsire Triples in 32 Minutes
S UsherTrebleR K Barnes5
F C Limb2A Stedman6
J Bracewell3J Burles7
J Williams4A J DaltonTenor

A very memorable occasion"

Saturday 10th May 20252 hoursapprox. 10.30am to 12.30pmRampside

Pitch'n'Putt and Lunch

Pitch'n'Putt - just for fun! at Rampside 10 hole par 3 course, and then lunch at a venue TBD

Saturday 10th May 20252 hoursapprox. 2.30pm to 4.30pmBARROW

Branch Ringing Meeting

The Furness & South Lakeland Branch (of LACR) Ringing Meeting is being held at Barrow, followed by a ringers tea.

Saturday 21st June 2025~3 hoursTBD (afternoon)BARROW

Peal

Attempt to ring a full peal for Dave Day 2025

Tuesday 1st July 202530 minutesapprox. 12.15pm to 12.45pmBARROW

Visiting Ringers

A group of visiting bellringers organised by a ringer from Kingston-upon-Thames plan to ring for half an hour at Barrow, and other neighbouring towers


Chronological list of events below.
Alternatively see the
Full Calendar Month Grid View