New Year's Eve Peal Attempt

This New Year’s Eve, the Bells of Congress will erupt into a cacophony of sound as members of the Washington Ringing Society attempt a peal at the Old Post Office Tower, just a stone’s throw from the White House (the Secret Service recommends against that). 

One of Washington's few significant Romanesque Revival buildings on a monumental scale, the 315-foot-high Old Post Office and Clock Tower houses a ring of 10 “peal bells” in the key of D major. The bells were cast by the Whitechapel Foundry in 1976 to commemorate the bicentenary of American Independence. They were gifted to Congress by the Ditchley Foundation, a privately-funded charity founded in 1958 by philanthropist Sir David Wills to support the Transatlantic Alliance between the United States and Europe. 

The bells are replicas of those found in Westminster Abbey. Each bell bears the Great Seal of the United States, together with the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. “Wisdom, Courage, Love,” David Wills’ accolade for the American people, is engraved on the largest bell.

Note: This is an outdoor event. Please bundle-up and dress appropriately for the weather.

The ringing on New Year’s Eve will begin at 1:30pm. If the peal attempt is successful, the ringing will last roughly 3.5 hours. Looking for the best place to hear the sound? The bells may be heard anywhere along that corridor of Pennsylvania Ave., but we recommend finding a local pub to sit outside and take in a meal, while letting both the New Year and the tintinnabulation wash over you.
 

Meet the Ringers: Washington Ringing Society

In early 1983, the Cathedral Ringing Society, which had been founded in October 1963 after the installation of the Cathedral bells, was renamed and reorganized as The Washington Ringing Society in recognition of the new bells installed at the Old Post Office Tower.

The organization is based in Washington, D.C. and is dedicated to the study, practice, and promotion of English change ringing. Members range in age from 15 to 80 and come from many different walks of life, including teachers, computer programmers, lawyers, students, doctors, archivists, and musicians. All are bell enthusiasts! Want to learn more? Explore the history and mission of Washington Ringing Society.