THE ten bells of St Eustachius, Tavistock, were rung for half an hour on the evening of Wednesday, September 9 to mark the achievement of the Queen in becoming the longest reigning monarch in British history.

Of those ringers present, only two could remember the day of the Queen’s accession when her father George VI died. One had also rung for her Coronation in 1953. The only older ringer was unfortunately unable to be present, but rings regularly for Sunday services. 

As as special mark of respect, the original eight of the bells (which were augmented to ten at the time of the Millennium) were rung to a traditional sequence of changes known as the Queen’s Peal, in which the bells are rung several times in the order 13572468. 

Tavistock bells are rung for Sunday services, weddings and other special occasions. The ringers, whose ages range for early teens to over 80, practise once a week and always welcome new blood.