These details supplement information provided in the cathedral on the stand Have you heard the Cathedral bells?
Cathedral Bells
The South Tower houses 14 bells which are rung full circle by a team of experienced bell ringers. A maximum of 12 bells are rung at any one time in the key of B flat major. The extra two bells allow different combinations of fewer bells to be rung in other keys.
These bells are the second heaviest ring of twelve in Britain. They total nearly 14 tons. The tenor bell, named Grandisson after Exeter’s 14th-century bishop, is the heaviest, weighing more than 3.5 tons – more than three small cars. The more modern bells of Liverpool Cathedral are heavier where the tenor bell weighs more than 4 tons.
Exeter’s bells have a very long history, and are all named. The present bells were cast by several different founders between 1616 and 1979, but many of them have been recast from much earlier bells and have a continuous history from medieval times, retaining names from the earlier castings.
Some are named after bishops (Grandisson, Oldham, and Stafford), and others after bell founders (Birdall, Pennington, and Purdue). The name Doom, given to a bell recast in 1693, dates from before 1553 and probably derives from the bell’s use at executions. The origin of the name Pongamouth, given to a bell recast in 1630, is uncertain.
To learn more about the ringing of the bells and to hear them, click:
In 2019 Exeter won the final of the National 12-Bell Striking Contest which was held in Exeter Cathedral. Their competition winning ring (more than 13 mins) can be viewed here:
Another massive bell hangs in the north tower of Exeter Cathedral. Click here for information about that bell.
