The Technology of Bellringing

John Harrison


Regions:
Surrey, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire
Notice Period:
Short (maybe less than one month's notice)
Type:
Subject enthusiast, experienced speaker
Fee:
Unknown: Depends on the group
Category:
Science
Updated:
14th October 2022

Behind the familiar sound of English style bell ringing there is a special way of hanging bells so that they can swing full circle. The physics of a swinging bell is simple but to create a precision musical instrument that responds sensitively to the needs of its performer presents considerable engineering challenges, especially when the instrument may weigh a ton or more. In this talk I explain how ringing works and then describe the different parts of a ringing installation, as well as how they have evolved over the centuries and continues to evolve in the 21st century with the use of novel materials and new techniques. There are two versions of this talk, one for general audiences focusing on the evolution, and one for those interested in the detail of the technology. See: jaharrison.me.uk/Talks/#RingTechnol

Views: 459 | Enquiries: 1

About John Harrison

My career was half as a Chartered Engineer and half as a chartered Ergonomics & Human Factors Consultant. My talks draw partly on that but more on my many other interests including: photography, fell walking, bell ringing, railways, bricks, human perception, maths ,... I have given around 250 talks to 100+ different groups. I'm based in Wokingham, Berkshire so limited to the surrounding area for in-person events (but online can be anywhere). Details of my talks are on my website at: jaharrison.me.uk/Talks


Send a message to the speaker

If you are interested in this talk and wish to contact the speaker, please complete the following form:

 
Please provide your contact name
 
Please provide the name of your group
 
Your phone number so that the speaker can contact you
 
Your email address so that the speaker can contact you
 
Give details about the event, time of day and location
Prove you are human please.
Use the slider to drag the puzzle so that the top and bottom are aligned , or use an alternate text based challenge by clicking here.
Which digit is 7th in the number 8971047?
 

Site Search

Search across all speakers, topics and tags. Put your search term in the box and press enter or hit search

Use quotes around exact multiple word searches, eg "winston churchill".