Our Neighbours

The University of London Society of Change Ringers (ULSCR) is the dedicated ringing society for students, staff, and alumni from any university within London. We run a relaxed, friendly practice for ringers of all abilities at St Olave’s, Hart Street at 7 pm on Thursdays (near Tower Hill station).
Naturally, after practice we go to the pub to socialise, with discussions on a wide range of topics!
But what’s more, the UL loves a social occasion, with many annual events put on throughout the year. This includes ringing tours (at least once a term), the annual dinner, peal weekend, and the opportunity to ring at many iconic London towers.

Established in 1637, the Ancient Society of College Youths is a premier change ringing society, based in the City of London, with an international membership that promotes excellence in ringing, with members of various ages young and old.

Almost 400 years on we are still going strong! Our Society and members are steeped in ringing history, tradition and innovation – from the late 17th Century when Fabian Stedman composed his principle; right

through to some of the most challenging and musical cyclic compositions being rung today.

We practice every Tuesday night, normally these are advanced twelve bell practices in the City of London, methods ranging from Stedman and Bristol up to multi-method spliced maximus.

The Society of Royal Cumberland Youths is a bell-ringing society with members from the UK and overseas, with headquarters at St Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square, London.

Established in 1747, the Society has a strong reputation not only for promoting good bell-ringing but also for being friendly and sociable. From its early years it attracted some of the great names in ringing history, who pushed back the early frontiers in change ringing. In 1896 the Society welcomed its first female member, Mrs George Williams, who was the first woman to ring a peal. At this time women were still excluded from ringing societies, which were typically male-only organisations.

The Society fulfils a critical role in the exercise today enabling ringers from all over the world to come together in pursuit of excellence, providing unique opportunities for ringers to challenge themselves and improve. Most members not only ring regularly at their local churches, but are often in positions of responsibility within local ringing and provide leadership in local ringing societies.

We practice every Wednesday at a tower in central London with repertoire ranging from Stedman and Bristol, to advanced spliced maximus.

The Surrey Association of Church Bell Ringers was formed in 1880, covering the whole county of Surrey. During the 20th century most of northern Surrey was built over with suburban housing and in 1965 officially became part of Greater London. Towers in this area are still affiliated to the Surrey Association. The Association’s Northern District includes 36 towers, mainly in southwest and south London, from Rotherhithe and Addington in the east to Egham in the west. The Southern District covers the more rural area in the existing county of Surrey.
The Surrey Association is active in recruiting and training new ringers and runs a programme of practices and events. We welcome visiting ringers, ringers moving into our area and people interested in learning to ring.

The Kent County Association of Change Ringers was formed in 1880 and remains one of the larger UK Territorial Associations. There are over 240 ringable towers and approximately 1,400 active members within Kent. The Association has six administrative Districts operating independently but under the umbrella of the General Committee. It is a member of the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers.

Since 1880 the Association’s primary objective has been to ensure that Sunday service ringing is maintained in Kent churches by concentrating energy on the recruitment and training of new ringers and the repair and maintenance of church bells.

Founded at Writtle, near Chelmsford, in 1879 the Essex Association of Change Ringers predates the Diocese of Chelmsford by some 35 years. Its boundaries are those of the old county of Essex prior to 1st April 1965. With a membership of over 1000, the Association is committed to the furtherance of the work of the Church by ringing bells, promoting bells and bell ringers, and keeping the bells of Essex churches ringing. This is achieved by giving help and advice in the maintenance of bell installations, by making grants available for restoration and improvement projects, and by offering opportunities for training and advancement in ‘method ringing’.

The Hertford County Association of Change-Ringers (HCACR) promotes all aspects of bells and bell ringing, encourages the recruitment and training of bell ringers, and advances the art of change ringing in Hertfordshire. As the name implies, HCACR members are principally interested in Change Ringing, in which bells are rung in mathematically defined patterns. The Association is divided into 6 Districts at which level most activity is organised.

The Docklands Ringing Centre promotes the art of bellringing in Docklands, Tower Hamlets & Southwark. The towers that form our Ringing Centre are Bermondsey, Borough, Camberwell, Isle of Dogs, Lewisham, Limehouse, Poplar, Rotherhithe, Stepney, Walworth and Waterloo.  These towers are located at the far reaches of the territorial associations of Middlesex, Surrey and Kent so the ringers found a natural bonding to support each other across the traditional boundaries.  We organise outings, quarter peal days and are very grateful for the assistance of many friends who support us at practices and events to help the development of our ringers.