Dove's Bellringer's Guide to the Church Bells of Britain
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Ronald H. Dove's book A Bellringer's Guide to the Church Bells of Britain and Ringing Peals of the World, known to bell ringers as Dove, is the standard reference to the towers (churches, and a few other secular buildings) which house bells hung for English-style full-circle bell ringing.
The majority of these towers are in England. with fewer in other parts of the British Isles. The are a small number of rings of bells in USA, Australia, Canada, Africa and New Zealand. A few other, mostly ex-colonial, countries have one or two rings of bells.
Before the late Ronald Dove produced his guide, the location of rings of bells was a matter only of local knowledge and hearsay. Ron produced eight editions of his guide between 1950 and 1994, managing to ring at most of the ringable towers (a never-ending task as rings are continually added, removed or upgraded and, at least in the Guide's early years, rediscovered).
After 1994, he handed over responsibility for the Guide to the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers. The 9th edition (December 2000) was the last published as a book and also made available as a database for free access via the Internet. The Guide traditionally listed the town or village, the county (or country), the dedication (saint) of the church, the number of bells, the weight of the tenor (the largest bell) and its musical note, and the practice night. It also noted whether the bells were in an unringable or unsafe condition. Appendices (not currently available online) also give information about rings of bells by number, weight, and county; a list of the heaviest bells in the British Isles; and details of changes since the previous edition. This information is helpful for those interested in trends over time.
Although it was sometimes assumed to be exhaustive, Dove's Guide never pretended to be a complete catalogue. In fact, the Guide is under continual review and enhancement. Map grid references are now shown, and even details of towers as Points of Interest for users of in-car satellite navigation systems. Details of individual bells in each ring are being added gradually.
It is an invaluable aid for the holidaying bell ringer looking for a tower to visit, or for organising a tower grab (ringing outing) such as those undertaken by the Friends of Dorothy Society. However, contact information for towers is still best obtained from individual Ringing Society websites and reports.
