Philadelphia Guild of Change Ringers
It is not surprising that Philadelphia, the city which houses the most historic bell in America, was and is an important center of bell ringing. The towers discussed in this website are towers with bells hung for English change ringing. There are currently two towers with operable change ringing bells in Philadelphia, though at one time there were more. One church, Saint Mark's Church is in Center City on Locust Street between 16th and 17th Streets. The other tower is The Church of Saint Martin-in-the-Fields which is on the intersection of Willow Grove Avenue and Saint Martin's Lane, located in the fashionable Philadelphia neighborhood of Chestnut Hill. The Philadelphia Guild of Change Ringers unites the efforts of the two functioning towers and provides instruction and information to individuals and organizations interested in English change ringing. There is a national bell ringing group to which most Philadelphia change ringers belong called the North American Guild of Change Ringers. To find out more about the North American Guild, click on the link NAGCR above.
The
Church of Saint Martin-in-the-Fields Tenor Bell 4-2-8 (512 lbs.) ring installed in 1980. watch a video of the ringing 20mg
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Saint Mark's Church Tenor Bell 17-3-18 (2006 lbs.) Re-hung for changing 1999. watch a video of the ringing 13 mg
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Enjoy the Bells! to hear the bells ring click on the Bell.
Quarter Peal of Grandsire Doubles (plus a few clinkers) rung at Saint Mark's Church, Philadelphia with a 768 cover. There is 49 minutes of listening here, sit back and enjoy! (59M)
We Recruit
We are always looking for new recruits who would like to ring bells. Change ringing is a hobby like few others. Some people ring as a ministry for their church, much like singing in the choir and others ring just for the fun and challenge of it. We ring on Sunday mornings. We also ring for special church services and for weddings. We are a diverse group of people of varying degrees of faiths and beliefs. We practice once a week for an hour and a half. Most ringing sessions are concluded in a local pub. In Chestnut Hill you will find us at the Chestnut Hill Grill after ringing at Saint Martin's. In center city we usually end up at the Black Sheep Pub. Individuals interested in learning this ancient art should contact Charles Rumford at 267-702-6721 or email him rumford.charles@gmail.com We will be starting a new class of learners in September 2023
To see the list of ringing assignments, click here.
Officers of the Philadelphia Guild of Change Ringers are:
Honorary Officers
, Rector of Saint Mark's Church
Position Vacant
Rector of The Church of Saint Martin-in-the-Fields
The Late Mr. Robert E. Coughlin, Founder of Saint Martin's Guild of Change Ringers
The Late Dr. Audery Evans, the Mistress of Saint Mark's Bells
this site is maintained by Brian Zook