The Ringing World
The Ringing World is a UK-based weekly journal and digital publication dedicated to church bell ringing, change ringing, bell towers, performances and the international ringing community.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
The Ringing World is a specialist weekly journal devoted to church bell ringing, particularly the English-style full-circle ringing tradition and the practice of change ringing. It serves as a publication for news, technical discussion, performance records, correspondence, event notices, obituaries and features about bells, towers and ringers. Its readership is distributed across the United Kingdom and among ringing societies and individual practitioners in other countries. The journal was established in 1911 in Guildford by John Sparkes Goldsmith, who became its founder and first editor. It was created to provide regular reporting of ringing activity, including peals and quarter peals performed by bands of ringers around the world. Over time, the publication developed a distinctive role as a journal of record for the ringing community. In the tradition of change ringing, formal records of performances are significant, and The Ringing World has become the principal publication in which such performances are reported. Its editorial scope also extends beyond performance results to the history, maintenance and restoration of bells and bell frames, the operation of towers, ringing education, method development and the social life of local and national ringing organisations. The publication is closely associated with the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers, the coordinating body founded in 1891 to represent ringers, support education and publicity, advise on bells and fittings, and codify aspects of change-ringing practice. After Goldsmith's death in 1942, the Central Council guaranteed the journal's publication against losses. In 1945, the Council decided to acquire it. From 1983, The Ringing World was constituted as a self-standing charitable body while remaining answerable to members of the Central Council. This arrangement gave the journal an institutional connection to the main representative organisation for English-style church bell ringing while preserving a distinct publishing identity. The journal's content has historically combined practical and archival functions. It publishes accounts of notable ringing performances, records of peals, discussion of ringing methods and compositions, reports from societies and towers, notices of events, and articles about the construction and preservation of bells. It also provides a forum for debate and correspondence and carries obituaries that document the lives and contributions of ringers. This combination makes it both a current-affairs periodical for a specialist community and an important historical record for the study of campanology and change ringing. The Ringing World's reach is international even though its publishing base and institutional origins are British. The Central Council represents affiliated organisations from the United Kingdom and other parts of the world, and the journal reports performances and developments beyond Britain. In addition to its paper edition, it has an online edition. The publication reported an average weekly circulation of 2,627 in 2018, reflecting its specialist rather than mass-market business model. The centenary of the journal was marked in 2011 with national celebrations, open ringing at London churches, a service at Westminster Abbey and the inaugural Ringing World National Youth Contest, a striking contest for young ringers. These activities reinforced the publication's role not only as a news and records outlet but also as a participant in community-building and youth engagement. Today, The Ringing World remains an active specialist publication associated with the Central Council and the worldwide community of church bell ringers.
History
The Ringing World emerged from the growth and increasing organisation of change ringing in the nineteenth century. Local ringing associations had multiplied, creating demand for better communication, shared standards and reliable publication of ringing performances. The Central Council of Church Bell Ringers was formed in 1891 as a coordinating and advisory body for the movement, but a dedicated weekly journal was still needed to circulate news and preserve records. The Ringing World was founded in 1911 in Guildford by John Sparkes Goldsmith, who served as its first editor. Its initial purpose was to report ringing news and document peals and quarter peals rung around the world. The journal gradually became central to the record-keeping culture of change ringing. Formal performances, method discussions and questions concerning the definition and acceptance of peals could be communicated to a broad specialist readership through its pages. The publication's institutional relationship with the Central Council strengthened after Goldsmith died in 1942. The Council guaranteed the journal against losses, and in 1945 it decided to acquire the publication. The journal subsequently remained closely linked to the Council while developing its own publishing and charitable structure. In 1983, it was constituted as a self-standing charitable body that continued to be answerable to Council members. This model allowed it to retain a specific editorial identity while serving the representative organisation and the wider ringing community. Across its history, the journal has covered much more than performance results. Its subject matter includes bell installations, tower and belfry management, bell restoration, ringing methods and compositions, education, ringing societies, local events, biographies and the wider history of campanology. It also carries correspondence, advertisements for ringing events, notices and obituaries. Because performances are expected to be reported in the journal, its archive functions as an important source for the history of individual towers, bands and ringing societies. The journal's audience is international. English-style full-circle ringing is concentrated in England but is practised in other parts of the United Kingdom and in ringing communities overseas. The Central Council's affiliated organisations include bodies from Australia and New Zealand, Ireland, North America, South Africa, Italy and elsewhere, providing a broad institutional network for the publication's reporting. The Ringing World therefore operates as a British publication with an international specialist readership. A digital edition supplements the paper periodical. In 2018, its average weekly circulation was reported as 2,627. The centenary in 2011 was marked by events around the country, open ringing at London churches, a Westminster Abbey service and the inaugural Ringing World National Youth Contest. These celebrations highlighted the journal's dual function: it is a publication that records the activities of ringers, and an institution that helps sustain their shared culture, standards and community.
- 2018
Circulation reported
[1]The publication had an average weekly circulation of 2,627.
- 2011
Centenary celebrations
[1]The journal's hundredth anniversary was marked by national ringing activities, a Westminster Abbey service and the first National Youth Contest.
- 1983
Established as a self-standing charitable body
[1]The journal adopted a separate charitable structure while remaining answerable to Central Council members.
- 1945
Acquired by the Central Council
[1]The Central Council of Church Bell Ringers decided to acquire the publication.
- 1942
Founder and first editor dies
[1]After Goldsmith's death, the Central Council guaranteed the journal's publication against losses.
- 1911
Publication founded in Guildford
[1]John Sparkes Goldsmith founded The Ringing World as a weekly periodical covering ringing news and recording peals and quarter peals.
Products and positioning
A specialist journal of record for church bell ringing and change ringing, combining current news, performance documentation, technical and historical coverage, community correspondence and event information.
Print periodical · 1911
Weekly print journal
The core publication is a weekly specialist journal devoted to church bell ringing. It combines current news, performance reports, technical material, correspondence, event advertising, historical features, society reports and obituaries. Its specialist focus and continuity make it a principal record of activity in the English-style ringing world.
Digital publishing
Online edition
The online edition extends the journal's specialist reporting beyond the paper periodical. It provides a digital channel for coverage of ringing performances, bells, towers, methods, events and the international ringing community, although detailed subscription and product specifications are not established in the supplied material.
Archival publication · 1911
Performance record
The Ringing World functions as the principal publication for reporting peals and quarter peals. Its performance records are an important part of change-ringing administration and historical documentation, preserving details of bands, towers, methods and notable achievements for the wider ringing community.
Marketing campaigns
- 2011Centenary celebrations
United Kingdom
The publication marked its hundredth anniversary with national celebrations, open ringing around London churches and a service at Westminster Abbey.
Outcome. The celebrations reinforced the journal's role as a national institution within the bell-ringing community.
- 2011Ringing World National Youth Contest
United Kingdom
As part of the centenary programme, The Ringing World supported the inaugural National Youth Contest, a striking contest for young ringers.
Outcome. The contest connected the publication's anniversary with youth participation and the future development of ringing.
Brand decisions
1983
Creation of a self-standing charitable structureStrategyBackground
The publication had been acquired and supported by the Central Council, but required a distinct organisational form for its publishing activity.
Action taken
The Ringing World was constituted as a self-standing charitable body while remaining answerable to Central Council members.
Aftermath
The publication retained its specialist editorial identity and continuing institutional relationship with the Central Council.
1945
Central Council acquisitionM&ABackground
The Central Council had guaranteed publication after the death of founder John Sparkes Goldsmith in 1942.
Action taken
The Council decided to acquire The Ringing World.
Aftermath
The journal remained closely associated with the Central Council until its later charitable restructuring.
Recent events
- 2018
Reported average weekly circulation[1]
Other
The journal was reported to have an average weekly circulation of 2,627 during 2018.
- 2011
The Ringing World marks its centenary[1]
Campaign · Other
The publication's hundredth anniversary was celebrated through national events, open ringing at London churches, a Westminster Abbey service and the first Ringing World National Youth Contest.
- 1983
The journal becomes a self-standing charitable body[1]
Other
The Ringing World was constituted as a separate charitable body while remaining answerable to members of the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers.
- 1945
Central Council acquires The Ringing World[1]
M&A
The Central Council decided to acquire the journal after several years in which it had supported publication financially.
- 1942
Central Council guarantees the publication after Goldsmith's death[1]
Other
Following the death of founder and first editor John Sparkes Goldsmith, the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers guaranteed The Ringing World's publication against losses.
- 1911
The Ringing World begins publication[1]
Other
John Sparkes Goldsmith founded the weekly periodical in Guildford to report ringing news and document peals and quarter peals performed in Britain and internationally.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/the-ringing-world · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled