Church bells stir emotions. A glorious peal of bells at a wedding awakes feelings of joy, while the slow tolling of a heavy bell speaks of sadness and death. Such sounds have echoed across the fields around Cholsey, a typical English village near Oxford, for a thousand years. This book follows the development of ringing from the first monastic community in Saxon times to the present day. In olden days bells were blessed with magical powers, able to dispel storms and drive away evil spirits. More recently they have become powerful musical instruments where a thousand different tunes are sounded by skilled players using the art of change ringing. Written for both experienced ringers and those who know nothing of the craft, this book follows the development of ringing from a monastic community in Anglo-Saxon times to the present day.