Lichfield Ringing Centre
A New Ringing Centre
St Mary's church has been converted into a well-used multi-purpose community facility including a coffee shop, gallery, performance spaces, library, internet cafe, and lots more. High above the new mezzanine level, the old ring of 8 bells have been silent for many years. Now an exciting project aims to breathe new life into these bells as a teaching resource for ringing across the Midlands.
Cleaning
The ringing room has been used a storage room. This will need clearing first before an attractive ringing room and display material can be created.
Tower
A structural engineer has reported that the tower is perfectly strong and safe enough for ringing to recommence.
Bells
The bells are ringable with difficultly but are not currently suitable for training - especially for younger learners. A project of works is being dicussed.
Simulator
The bells at St Mary's are loud and are situated in the centre of town. We want to install simulator equipment to allow for silent ringing to take place at any time.
Displays
The Hub will run tower tours which pass through the ringing room. We want to create attractive & informative display material for visitors even when ringing is not happening.
Training Bell
For younger learners, even the smaller bells may be too large. We want to install bespoke training bells which feel like smaller bells and can be rung with the existing bells by using the simulator.