Bell Ringers
Bell-ringing at St Woolos is a tradition which goes back nearly 250 years. It has brought pleasure and solace to generations of people who are ringers or hear the sound of the bells from our church.
The special combination of bells and ringers that Newport Cathedral enjoys already made it the foremost tower for ringing in Wales. The addition of a new light treble in 2023 has extended the range of bells we can now ring, giving us a choice of bells to ring in a diatonic octave, four different sixes, as well as a light or heavy ten (9cwt or 21cwt) in addition to the original twelve.
There is a dedicated team of regular Sunday ringers, The band has 20 regular ringers who are members of the local Llandaff & Monmouth Diocesan Association of Church Bell Ringers.
We are a local band. Of the fifteen who ring regularly on Sunday Morning, 8 live within a mile of the Cathedral, with only two further than 3 miles away
St Woolos benefits from a strong band, with many years of experience. Over half of the band who learnt to ring in their teenage years are still ringing as adults, but we are looking for younger ringers to join us and begin their journey, and ringers who may have taken a break due to circumstances but wish to return, both are welcome.
We hold two general ringing sessions each week. Practice night is on Tuesday and we ring for Sunday morning service. Once they can ring well in rounds, learners are expected to attend both sessions regularly, but you don’t have to be religious or a church member in order to ring with us.
Experienced ringers are always welcome to join our open sessions, but please check first if you are travelling from a distance, or if you plan to bring a group of ringers with you.
Learning to handle a bell requires dedication with regular teaching sessions over a number of weeks, however once you can handle a bell you will join a very special community of ringing friends and find a warm welcome at over 5000 towers throughout the UK and in countries around the world.
Whilst younger more co-ordinated learners can learn to handle a bell in about 10 hours, others may take longer. We aim to teach intensively with 2-3 sessions a week, to enable learners to join the band as quickly as possible.
To find out more about learning to ring, visit our website at
BellRingingWales.org or watch the video Discovering Bellringing or contact us directly to arrange to visit us in the tower.
Ringing combines physical and mental skill, working as part of a team. You don’t have to be particularly strong as the bell does most of the work, and you only have to be fit enough to climb the 46 steps to the ringing room.
Here are some of the ways that bell ringing can improve your physical and mental health:
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Physical Benefits:
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Mental Benefits:
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The History of Newport Cathedral’s Bells
2023 – Installation of the new treble
In October 2023 a new treble bell was gifted to the Cathedral. It was dressed, along with its wheel, for a blessing in the St Mary Chapel. It was then hauled up to be hung above the other bells, to give a ‘light 10’ as well as a true ring of 13.
Cast in Holland, and tuned at Nicholsons Bell Hangers in Dorset, it was gifted in memory of Paul Williams, a long-serving member of the Cathedral band.
1989 – Addition of the flat 6th – The Daisy Bell
The semi-tone bell was added by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry of London in 1989, and these 13 bells remain the largest ring in Wales until 2023. The bell was gifted in memory of Daisy Wall, leading to it being known as the Daisy Bell.
1939 – Augmented to 12
In 1939, two trebles were added and the smallest three bells were recast by Gillett and Johnson of Croydon to create the first ring of 12 bells in Wales.
1894, they were augmented to 8 and hung in a locally made timber frame with the fittings
overhauled at a cost of £270, the Octave opened on Easter Sunday. Within 11 years the local band were discussing augmentation of the ring to ten, and the Tenor, recast in 1894, was only 19 years old when scrapped.
1913 – A complete new ring of 10 bells
The history of the present bells started in 1913, when a new ring of 10 bells was installed in the tower by Taylors of Loughborough. Although installed in 1913, the first peal on the new bells was rung to welcome home returning prisoners after the war.
1768 The 5 bells were recast to six by Thomas Bayley of Bridgwater
*KIMYS AND FRIENDS DID VOTE TISS TRUE THARE FIUE OLD BELLS SHOULD CAST SIX NEW*
Pre 1768 there were 5 bells in the tower, however little is known of their details apart from some inscriptions which have been reproduced on later bells.
The tower itself was probably funded by Jasper Tudor following the War of the Roses in the late 15th century, who is traditionally associated with statue on the 3rd tier of the tower. Tradition also asserts that his head on the statue was shot down by supporters of Oliver Cromwell.
