Update on the New Ring of 12 Bells for Trinity Church, New York City

[Dianne Cermak <dspc comcast net>]

> From: "Tim Barnes" <tjbarnes optonline net>
> Date: September 11, 2006 10:19:53 PM EDT
> To: nag-talk yahoogroups com
> Subject: [nag-talk] Update on the New Ring of 12 Bells for Trinity Church, New York City
> Reply-To: nag-talk yahoogroups com
>
> Many of you will have seen the article in the Ringing World of July 
> 7th 2006 announcing plans for the installation of a new ring of 12 
> at Trinity Church, Wall Street, New York City. Work and planning 
> has been continuing apace in recent weeks, and we are now able to 
> provide the following update.
>
> The new ring of 12 has a Tenor weight of 23cwt 3qrs 17lbs in D, and 
> is the result of a very generous gift by Dr Martin C Faulkes of the 
> Dill Faulkes Educational Trust. The existing chime bells will be 
> reinstalled above the new change-ringing bells. They are a diatonic 
> ~25cwt octave in D with an extra treble and a flat 2nd. In 
> addition, an 11th chiming bell, a sharp 5th, is being cast and added 
> as the result of a separate gift to Trinity.
>
> The new 12 change ringing bells were cast by Taylors, Eayre & Smith 
> at Loughborough, England, during August and September. The frame and 
> fittings were completed and dispatched for shipping on Friday 
> September 8th, and are scheduled for delivery at Trinity Church 
> during week commencing October 2nd. The chime bells have been 
> removed from the tower, and sent to McShane's in Baltimore for 
> renovation and to be fitted with new chime gear.
>
> We hope that with its prominent location, Trinity Church will 
> attract visiting ringers from North America and around the world. 
> To that end, arrangements are being made to ensure the bells are 
> readily available to capable ringers and bands wishing to visit, 
> including those wishing to attempt peals. Trinity is surrounded on 
> all four sides by tall buildings, both office and residential, and 
> effective sound control is therefore essential for enabling extended 
> ringing. The gift by the Dill Faulkes Educational Trust includes a 
> comprehensive sound control system that will be operated using 
> electric motors, and Trinity Church has engaged a New York firm of 
> acoustical engineers to advise on sound levels and acoustics, and to 
> take measurements to verify the effectiveness of the sound control.
>
> A dedication service is to be held on Sunday October 8th 2006 at 
> 11:15am after which the frame and bells will be hoisted and 
> installed during the next three weeks. Members of the NAGCR, as well 
> as other visiting ringers, are warmly invited to attend this 
> service, and we hope to offer ringing on Saturday October 7th at 
> Brewster, NY and/or Kent, CT. More details to follow on this.
>
> The bells are due to be tested and commissioned by an expert 12 bell 
> band invited by the donor during the weekend of October 28th and 
> 29th. A commissioning peal is planned for Saturday October 28th, 
> starting at 1.00pm, with a reserve attempt on Sunday October 29th, 
> starting at 12.30pm. Whilst ringers everywhere are very welcome to 
> come and listen to the peal ringing, we cannot offer general ringing 
> during this weekend.
>
> Regular service ringing will commence on Sunday November 4th. We 
> will be ringing after the second service, starting at 12.30pm. 
> Practice night will be Wednesday from 6.30 – 8.30pm, commencing Nov 
> 8th, and, in due course, we hope to establish a dedicated beginners' 
> practice on Tuesdays from 6.30 – 8.30pm.
>
> We plan to hold the first general ringing over the weekend of New 
> Year's Eve. The intention is to combine a planned visit by a peal 
> band from Birmingham, England, with three days of general ringing by 
> members of the NAGCR and other visitors. This will mean there will 
> be plenty of experienced 12-bell ringers present during this weekend 
> to add their expertise to the ringing. Plans are at an early stage, 
> but we hope to start the event on the evening of Friday December 
> 29th, and finish on the afternoon of Monday January 1st. Further 
> details to follow. Because this event is dependent on the effective 
> operation of the sound control, please do not make any non-
> refundable travel arrangements until the event is confirmed. We 
> will also be looking into accommodation options for visiting 
> ringers, recognizing the cost of hotels in NYC at that time of year.
>
> A very important part of the ringing program at Trinity will be the 
> establishment of training programs for new ringers, and also for 
> more experienced ringers wishing to develop their 12-bell ringing 
> skills. As well as having a simulator attached to the 12 bells, 
> there will be a dumb-bell and simulator in the parish hall for 
> training purposes. In addition, video facilities are being 
> installed to enable beginners to see the relationship between rope 
> movements and bell movements, and to help correct handling faults.
>
> Trinity Church has its own media department and operates an 
> extensive web-site. This includes the web-casting of certain 
> Trinity services. Both the dedication service and the initial peal 
> attempts will be web-cast on the church's web-site at 
> www.trinitywallstreet.org . Over time we expect the bells and 
> ringers to feature regularly as part of the Sunday Service web-casts.
>
> The New York Times has been granted an "exclusive" on the 
> installation of the new ring, and has been conducting interviews 
> with various members of the church and other involved parties in 
> preparation for a forthcoming article. While we don't know the 
> exact date, we believe this will be published imminently. As is 
> usual in these matters, we have had no editorial control over the 
> content of the article, nor are we able to preview the article prior 
> to publication, so all we can do is hope they produce a suitable 
> portrayal of the project!
>
> Trinity Church is located at the intersection of Wall Street and 
> Broadway, with the tower facing East along Wall St. There will be 
> views from the ringing chamber on three sides out of the existing 
> clock-windows. Air-conditioning and heating will make it a 
> comfortable place at any season of the year.
>
> A working group comprising Trinity staff and some New York area 
> ringers is meeting regularly to develop plans for the ringing and 
> the training of a band. We will provide further updates as events 
> unfold over the coming weeks. If you have any immediate enquiries, 
> please e-mail bells@trinitywallstreet.org.
>
> Tim Barnes (Ringing Master-elect)
> Tony Furnivall (Tower Captain-elect)
> September 11th, 2006