York Minster musician’s bells ‘clanger’ anger

9:27am Thursday 3rd January 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Richard Catton, richard.catton@thepress.co.uk

John Ridgeway-Wood John Ridgeway-Wood

THE musician behind the ringing of York Minster’s carillon of bells on New Year’s Eve said he may stay at home next year if they are to be drowned out again by live music.

Doctor of music, John Ridgeway-Wood, has performed for the past four years in the Minster’s carillon, a set of musical bells played using a wooden keyboard and which can be heard throughout the city centre.

However, on January 1 the music and the midnight chimes of the Great Peter bell were drowned out by a live band outside the Minster, organised by City of York Council.

Mr Ridgeway-Wood said: “I would go up at 11.30pm and play Christmas songs then at midnight Great Peter would strike before the bell-ringers would play for about 20 minutes.”

He said the striking of midnight followed by the peal of bells had gone on for “donkey’s years” and was traditional across the country.

“I’m not sure what happened this year,” he said.

“They had a countdown for midnight on the stage, but as soon as it reached midnight the band struck up again. I started to get tweets from the people outside saying they couldn’t hear the bells.”

He said: “If this is going to be a regular event I might as well stay at home.”

Sally Burns, the council’s director of communities and neighbourhoods, said: “The New Year’s Eve celebrations at Duncombe Place were enjoyed by hundreds of residents and visitors to the city and we have received positive feedback from many of those present.

“We would like to sincerely apologise to Mr Ridgeway-Wood and his fellow bell-ringers for any disruption to the ringing of the Minster bells, at midnight.

“It was certainly not the intention of these free festivities to encroach on this well-loved tradition.

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“The York 800 end of year screenings were shown across the city throughout the whole of the weekend – giving everyone in York a chance to re-live the events of the year and be reminded of the fantastic celebrations we have all been involved in.”

Comments(17)

goodfellow says...
10:05am Thu 3 Jan 13

I am sure this can be sorted out for next year, with the 'live' music ending just before midnight then bells then home - just pleased that CYC do something to support events in York

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atorycouncil2014 says...
10:09am Thu 3 Jan 13

Oh no Calamity Crisp strikes again. Perhaps she should start taking cultural trips to places like Rome Barcelona Paris etc rather than just Blackpool.

Stop the cheapening and destruction of culture in our city!!

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Mister Sheen says...
10:21am Thu 3 Jan 13

Fair comment. We were pleased that there was an attempt to enhance the New Year experience outside the Minster but we were disappointed that we could barely hear the midnight bell, let alone any after it!

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pedalling paul says...
10:24am Thu 3 Jan 13

Might as well state the obvious....sounds as though someone dropped a clanger.....!

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hustler says...
11:57am Thu 3 Jan 13

goodfellow wrote:
I am sure this can be sorted out for next year, with the 'live' music ending just before midnight then bells then home - just pleased that CYC do something to support events in York
Sounds fair enough to me.

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Dr Brian says...
12:41pm Thu 3 Jan 13

Hopefully it will be organised better next year and the live band will go silent so all can appreciate the beautiful peel of bells - After all we don't want any stamping of his feet by a petulant bell ringer do we!

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ShunGokuSatsu says...
2:25pm Thu 3 Jan 13

pedalling paul wrote:
Might as well state the obvious....sounds as though someone dropped a clanger.....!
They, uh...already made that joke in the headline.

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PA2Y5C says...
2:34pm Thu 3 Jan 13

Sounds to me like an attempt to secularise the event by playing down the Minster's role. The event was not "at Duncombe Place" but outside the West Front of the Minster, with people then overflowing into Duncombe Place. The Minster was the attraction for people that night as it has been for centuries: a focus for proposals, pilgrimages, farewells and funerals. So people flock to the Minster for its own significance, not because it's a backdrop to Duncombe Place. In the video the Minster seems to be obliterated by the stage's bright lights; why bother with a band at all? Gather, admire the floodlight building, hail the new year, hear the bells and leave; easy.

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bellringer64 says...
4:03pm Thu 3 Jan 13

The DJ and his rcket were supposed to go silent at five minutes to midnight and remain so until ten minutes into the new year; as indeed was the Elvis impersonator in 2011. There ism no point in the bells being rung for the new year if they cannot be heard properly. To give readers an idea of how noisy it was, we rigners could not even hear Great Peter strike the 12 of midnight, even though we were 100' off the ground and adjacent to the big bell. It was also very difficult to hear the bells we were ringing, even though they are just 45 feet above us.

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Terry3 says...
4:10pm Thu 3 Jan 13

Nice to see from the comments that tradition is still alive and well in York. apart from the usual guff from PP..Well done you people.

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BigJon says...
5:40pm Thu 3 Jan 13

If the problem occurred in 2011 and wasn't sorted out in time for this year, despite complaints then, I don't really hold out much hope that the problem will be sorted out for the 2013/14 New Year celebrations.

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bob the builder says...
6:23pm Thu 3 Jan 13

It's only by people withdrawing their goodwill and free labour that the council will ever get the point. They are too busy trying to bury bad news and cuts by repeatedly staging loss making disruptive events and making spin about those same events even after public criticism. I think some of our Labour councillors must have been bussed in from London Boroughs.

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bob the builder says...
6:23pm Thu 3 Jan 13

It's only by people withdrawing their goodwill and free labour that the council will ever get the point. They are too busy trying to bury bad news and cuts by repeatedly staging loss making disruptive events and making spin about those same events even after public criticism. I think some of our Labour councillors must have been bussed in from London Boroughs.

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eeoodares says...
6:44pm Thu 3 Jan 13

Someone suggested why not have this event in Parliament Street, seems ideal and those of us who like the Minster tradition can enjoy it! Those who want video screens and a DJ can enjoy that too.

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woowoo25 says...
6:48pm Thu 3 Jan 13

no mention of the bell ringer almost physically assaulting the band and having to be restrained by the minster security guards?

not very catholic!

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AngryandFrustrated says...
9:57am Fri 4 Jan 13

woowoo25 wrote:
no mention of the bell ringer almost physically assaulting the band and having to be restrained by the minster security guards? not very catholic!
Well it wouldn't be very Catholic given that the Minster is not a Catholic church - it's Church of England!!

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woowoo25 says...
2:51pm Fri 4 Jan 13

outrageous!
i will never set foot in that big church again

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