Change ringing is a style of church bell ringing started in England around the end of the sixteenth century. Because of constraints imposed by the physics of swinging bells, tunes are not played. Instead, the bells are rung in ever changing patterns to a steady rhythm.
Change ringing, while an obscure art, remains as widely practiced today as at any time in the past, and continues to evolve. The largest concentration of interest remains in England, which is home to over 95% of the world's bells hung for change ringing, with many of the remainder in other parts of the UK. However, there are small pockets in other parts of the world, mostly former British colonies, including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United States, and Zimbabwe. The past few decades have seen an increase in interest, with the number of towers outside the UK roughly doubling since about 1960.
This category is for sites having to do with any aspect of change ringing.
Only sites dealing exclusively, or at least primarily, with change ringing, which term is intended to encompass both method ringing and call changes, should be submitted for inclusion in this category.
This category is for sites about composition in change ringing.
Composition involves the working-out of the structural characteristics of a set number of changes, leading to the creation of a touch, quarter-peal, peal or long-length. It involves the manipulation of methods and/or principles.
Sites submitted to this category should be primarily concerned with composition. Tower or association listings that include compositions as only a part of the site should be submitted to the Towers or Associations category as appropriate. Sites that combine composition with other aspects of ringing should be submitted to the more general Ringing category above.
This category is for sites about methods in change ringing.
Methods are a set number of changes with a characteristic structural organisation according to predetermined mathematical rules. They are combined and/or manipulated in compositions.
Sites submitted to this category should be primarily concerned with methods. Tower or association listings that include methods as only a part of the site should be submitted to the Towers or Associations category as appropriate. Sites that combine methods with other aspects of ringing should be submitted to the more general Ringing category above.