HRGB Archives

The HRGB Archives house memorabilia and artefacts relating to both HRGB and handbell ringing in general including: 

1. Documents, artefacts, photographs and sound files that illustrate the work of HRGB, its Regions and its subsidiaries – its establishment and development; its purpose and activities; the ways in which it has advanced, provided and encouraged for the public benefit the art of handbell tune ringing in all its forms.  These might also occasionally illustrate the contribution of very significant individual members.  Overall, the aim of this section of the Archive would be to tell the story of HRGB.
2. Artefacts, including examples (not collections) of bells, that illustrate key points in the development of musical handbells.
3. Artefacts that illustrate the social history of handbell ringing nationally – for example, its contribution to communities, its contribution to public musicianship, the striking differences in style, music and custom between different parts of the country, and between different historical periods.
4. Carefully chosen artefacts to illustrate HRGB’s involvement in international symposia, the ways in which British handbell ringing has influenced ringing in other countries and vice versa.
5. Examples (not a collection) of music in different notations used by handbell teams.

The HRGB Archive is NOT a repository for collections of bells and artefacts which do not fit these four types of content.

Small gifts of handbell-related memorabilia are gratefully received. We ask potential donors of large amounts of memorabilia, including members who wish to leave items to HRGB in their wills, and the executors of members’ wills, to first contact the Acting Archivist, Alan Hartley [1], to discuss and agree those items which would be welcome and identify those items which would not be appropriate for HRGB’s Archives (for example, because they would duplicate currently held items).

Access to the Archive material is available to HRGB members.  Members of the public may request access in writing, and permission is likely to be given if a clear reason for requesting access is provided and when the stated purpose will advance HRGB’s charitable objective, or increase public knowledge and appreciation of bells themselves, or increase public knowledge and appreciation of ways in which bells have contributed to the social fabric and history of Britain.