Tavistock townspeople were enthralled last Friday morning to hear the bells of St Eustachius Church sound for over three hours – courtesy of guest ringers from St Paul’s Cathedral, writes Donna Baker

The ringers of St Paul’s Cathedral completed a full peal of the method London No 3 Surprise Royal, comprising 5040 separate changes.

Their visit to Tavistock came as part of a tour of local churches.

They went on to ring quarter peals (around 45 minutes each) on Friday afternoon at Plympton St Mary and Emmanuel (Plymouth) and on Saturday for another peal attempt at Withycombe Raleigh near Exmouth in east Devon with more general ringing at Exeter Cathedral in the afternoon. They completed their tour on Sunday at Buckfast Abbey.

A full peal, normally taking around three hours or more, is a major achievement, demanding full concentration of mind, eye and ear as well as physical exertion.

A ‘method’ refers to the pattern of changes, which each ringer must know, and there are many hundreds of such patterns, although the majority of ringers will ring only a few as standard procedure.

Ringing tours and outings are often the highlights of a ringer’s year, when they can experience and enjoy different bells in different places - sometimes as far abroad as Australia or America.

A peculiarly English art in origin, bellringing in this manner is still found in only a few countries outside the United Kingdom.

New ringers are always welcomed in any tower, and being a churchgoer is not a requirement.

Tavistock ringers practise on Tuesday evenings and have a special beginners’ practice on Thursdays and are always happy to welcome those who might be interested in joining them.