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| Cambridge University Society of Change Ringers | |
|---|---|
| Name | Cambridge University Society of Change Ringers |
| Formation | 18th century |
| Type | Student society |
| Headquarters | Cambridge |
| Location | Cambridge |
| Region served | Cambridgeshire |
| Membership | University students and alumni |
| Leader title | President |
Cambridge University Society of Change Ringers is a collegiate society for bell ringers associated with the University of Cambridge. The society connects students, academics, and alumni interested in campanology, linking traditions from King's College, Cambridge and St John's College, Cambridge to practices found at Ely Cathedral, Peterborough Cathedral, and parish churches across East Anglia. It operates alongside other university clubs such as the Cambridge Union Society, Cambridge University Musical Society, and Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club.
The society traces roots to informal ringing at King's College Chapel, Cambridge and Great St Mary's, Cambridge in the 18th and 19th centuries, contemporaneous with figures at Trinity College, Cambridge, St Catharine's College, Cambridge, and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Early members included students connected with patrons like Edward VII-era benefactors and clergy linked to Ely Cathedral and Peterhouse, Cambridge. The society developed through correspondence and exchanges with metropolitan rings at St Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Southwark Cathedral and provincial centres such as Lincoln Cathedral, Norwich Cathedral, and Wells Cathedral. In the 20th century it engaged with national organisations including the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers and allied with university institutions like Magdalene College, Cambridge and Pembroke College, Cambridge.
Governance mirrors collegiate structures across Queens' College, Cambridge and Gonville and Caius College, with committees elected in terms similar to the Cambridge University Students' Union and officers liaising with diocesan authorities in Diocese of Ely and civic bodies in Cambridge City Council. Membership spans undergraduates from colleges such as Christ's College, Cambridge, postgraduates from Darwin College, Cambridge, fellows from Clare College, Cambridge, and alumni associated with the Cambridge Alumni Association. The society collaborates with external bodies like the Society of Oxford University and Cambridge University Change Ringers, the Ringing World community, and regional groups in Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk.
Regular practices occur at towers linked to collegiate chapels and civic churches, with sessions at venues including Great St Mary's, Cambridge, St Bene't's Church, Cambridge, St Edward King and Martyr, Cambridge, and nearby parish towers in Grantchester, Histon, and Sawston. Training covers methods from simple rounds to advanced peals and quarter peals, drawing on repertoires used at St Martin-in-the-Fields, St Mary-le-Bow, and county rings in Cambridgeshire. The society organises outings to rings at Lincoln Cathedral, Exeter Cathedral, Canterbury Cathedral, York Minster, and international exchanges with teams from Dublin, Oxford, Guildford, and Leicester. Workshops feature instruction informed by publications produced historically by contributors to the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers and the Ringing World.
Key towers frequented by members include collegiate chapels like King's College Chapel, Cambridge and parish towers such as Great St Mary's, Cambridge and St Bene't's Church, Cambridge, alongside landmark sites visited on tours: Ely Cathedral, Peterborough Cathedral, St Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Lincoln Cathedral, Norwich Cathedral, Wells Cathedral, Canterbury Cathedral, and York Minster. Regional towers of note include those in Huntingdon, St Ives, Cambridgeshire, Soham, Burwell, Cambridgeshire, and historic churches in Cambridge University Botanic Garden vicinity. The society has also rung at rings associated with alumni-linked parishes such as Great St Mary's, Cambridge and ceremonial venues connected to the University of Cambridge.
Members participate in competitions organised by bodies like the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers and inter-university contests analogous to events hosted by the Oxford University Society of Change Ringers and regionals in East Anglia. The society has recorded quarter peals and peals logged in the Ringing World and has produced conductors and composers of methods who have contributed to repertoires used at St Martin-in-the-Fields, St Mary-le-Bow, and cathedrals in Lincoln and Norwich. Alumni have gone on to hold posts or honours connected to institutions such as Ely Cathedral, Peterborough Cathedral, and diocesan chapters within the Church of England.
The society preserves rituals reflective of collegiate life at Cambridge University Conservative Association and musical traditions akin to ensembles at the Cambridge University Musical Society and choirs of King's College, Cambridge and St John's College, Cambridge. Its activities contribute to civic ceremonies, graduations at University of Cambridge colleges and civic events coordinated with Cambridge City Council and diocesan calendars in the Diocese of Ely. Alumni networks intersect with heritage organisations such as the National Trust and local history groups in Cambridgeshire and East Anglia, influencing conservation of bells, restoration projects at towers like Ely Cathedral and St Paul's Cathedral, and educational outreach to schools including links with The Leys School, Cambridge and St John's College School, Cambridge.
Category:University societies in Cambridge Category:Bell ringing societies