Central Bucks Branch

Links To Other Sites

• Contact me
  If you have any suggestions for links or news, or are wondering who all these 'outside' branches are (It's amazing how big the Oxford area is!), then email me (Hal) on the link above and leave a comment or two. Great, now onto the links:

• Central Bucks Branch - Tower websites
  Some of our Branch towers have their own individual websites - You can find the links to these on the 'Towers' page of this site, just mouse over the dedication to the church and click.

• cccbr
  Central Council Website with new face-lift (finally) for all things ringing, including: forms, information and even more ringing links than nodes in the human brain!

• Dove's Guide
  Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. A truly amazing work, cataloguing the worlds towers in a useful and relational way - a must if looking for practices, bell details and locations!!!

• Jblueline
  Learn those methods! A helpful way of learning methods, with this free online Java applet. It contains all the recent methods in the central library collection :) A really well designed piece of cross platform software, do try it out, then arrange a quarter and ring the method...

• Method Workshop
  A free utility for Showing and printing Method diagrams. This latest version will work on Windows Vista. Download, Install, sit back and Run. A great way to communicate Methods and print off Diagrams for your tower. Steve's a legend.

• Campanophile Resource
  A listing of events around the country for those interested in visiting new towers/doing more ringing, etc.

• Ringing World Peals
  Loads of Peals from 1985 onwards in an easy to access format.

• Ringing World
  Submit quarters and peals online. Currently only a form submission site, but does allow an easy and quick way of posting those CBB quarters that we're all doing.

• ODG
  Oxford Diocese Guild web. Do visit the all new site, and please also send in news and comments. Enjoy!

• ODG map of branches
  A clickable map of the ODG branches - Check out all those other lovely Branches in the guild from the comfort of your far superior arm chair, knowing that the Central Bucks Branch rule...

• Change Ringing Resources
  Even more Ringing resources and links!

• Banbury Branch
  The Banbury Branch of Church Bellringers. Up to date and informative site for spying on the activities of our fellow branch, and all its leaves. A lovely site, simple and easy to view.

• Bicester Branch
  Bicester Branch of Bellringers. Fantastic and welcoming Branch, with a great deal of helpful up to date information. Click, View then Visit!

• Chiltern Branch
  Chiltern Branch of Bellringers. Orchard Cup hopefuls... ha! A great and welcoming site, reflecting the Branch and it's members. So will the cup come to CBB this year... stay tuned.

• Chipping Norton Branch
  Chipping Norton Branch of the Oxford Diocesan Guild of Church Bellringers. This has just enough info for one to find, contact and visit the Chippy bells of your dreams... but why leave the CBB? :)

• East Berks & South Bucks
  East Berks & South Bucks Branch. If it's sun, sea and cocktails you want, go on a cruise. If, however, you're into cold, cloudy and wet (followed by a pint of Real Ale), then visit Berks. I can't remember the last time I saw the sun over Amersham - but then I've only ever been at night for the practice.

• Newbury Branch
  Newbury Branch of Church Bellringers. A distant and mysterious land of bells and towers. Some say they ring with 'strange' handling and sleep with one eye open. So any curious person should click on the link and find out if this is rubbish.

• North Bucks Branch
  Man has been known to venture far into the north, but never before had anyone travelled to this extreme latitude for fear of falling off the edge of the world! We had probably discovered more about the bottom of the ocean, indeed more about the moon, than of this cold and barren out region of the Guild. But as any civilised people, we introduced Bells, gave them fire and educated the people, and all was made well! You can click on the link and hear their side of the story.

• Old North Berks Branch
  From Bellringing to nuclear fusion, this Branch has it all! Loads of Towers here... have a 'surf' and e-visit those towers you haven't yet rung. All the organising for a trip can be done from the comfort of home, and without the hassle of wasting fuel and inconvenience of leaving your favourite CBB tower and pub. You could even use the time saved from not travelling to maybe learn those blue lines on-line.

• Oxford City Branch
  The Oxford city ringers website. A great, active site loaded with news, pictures and events. Nice to see activities, outings and info. Nearly as good as CBB? :)

• Reading Branch
  This Branch, like fine wines, I know nothing about. So it was cool to find other English Change Ringers live there and like us have one unified language (which I can't speak). Interestingly both our cultures evolved from a fantastic art form known as Bellringing - a little known about exercise. The fracture in our two cultures occured when the CBB designed (rather cleverly) a 'flag', which it then used as an instrument to conquer the outlying regions of the Guild, and discover other interesting places (traditionally this activity is called an 'outing' and is achieved using carriages powered by internally combusting fire). Find out more using the link above.

• Sonning Deanery Branch
  Bellringing bagan as a totally fruitless hobby (much like counting paperclips or collecting European standard size coloured elastic bands from UK state run banks), but this all changed with the introduction of the Pub and alcohol in 1982. Suddenly, on the back of this alcohol revolution, History was made as the Knights of the Sonning Deanery single handedly built every one of their towers. Their cause? The Noble Art of English Change Ringing. When they were done, and the tools returned to the hire shop (deposit was lost on receipt because of excessive wear on one of the stone cutting tools), they sat round their creations and devised ancient looking peal boards (tea staining techniques probably employed in a cliche manner). When they were satisfied, one popped over the hill to Reading and brought back Pot Noodles for all the others to enjoy. They created a beautiful Branch, and made a webpage to share this beauty. A must see region.

• South Oxon Branch
  South Oxon Branch of Bellringers. Just down the road from CBB is a lovely little Branch with a couple of towers spotted here and there. To find out if they're any good, you'll have to visit - so click on the link and do your research!

• Vale of the White Horse Branch
  Vale of the White Horse Branch of Bellringers. Yep, another Branch - but a lovely branch. I could get into the story of how the horsey thing was actually created in 2004 especially for Google Earth, but that story would ruin the enigma of this iron age beast (to give you an idea of the reputed age, we now live in the 'JCB' age circa. 2004). Lots of useful info, so be sure to have a look!

• Witney & Woodstock Branch
  Witney & Woodstock Branch of Bellringers. As with all lists, there is always a final item... good old WWB. If you've read this far you're keen, so sign up for the CBB branch activites and do something more active than 'surfing the web'. Don't forget to follow this link first though!

• Stedman Triples
  A resource for those interested in Stedman Triples and how the first ever Bob-only peal was composed and conducted. Check it out!

• Probell European Bell Maintenance and Restoration Project
  Exactly what it says on the tin. A brief summary of their work which included research on bells hung for ringing in the English style.

• Hibberts
  Hibberts bell tuning website. An introduction, and more, to bell tuning and analysis. You'll soon have those tower bells humming like a treat, and those nominals octavely resonating above the fundamentals. Or not. Amazing amount of information on a fascinating subject.