St Albans Delight Minor

About St Albans Delight Minor

St Albans Delight is a member of the group of methods having Norwich Surprise / above the treble, below the treble, the structure produces a fairly easy treble bob method.

The 5ths place half lead makes 5 the pivot bell, and hence Lead End 164523, and College Bob / Norfolk S. Lead End order.

St Albans Delight Minor is one of a group of 5 Treble Dodging methods all having identical work below the treble.

• College Exercise Treble Bob Minor
• London Scholars' Pleasure Treble Bob Minor
• College Bob IV Delight Minor
• St Albans Delight Minor (Ibid)
• Vale Royal Delight Minor

As of June 2025 there were just 4 performances St Albans Delight Minor on handbells.

Method Structure.

Place Notation:
X 34 X 14 X 12 X 16 X 34 X 56, LE 16, Bob 14, Single 1456.

Grid:

Diagram: St Albans Delight Minor, plain lead, change-rows and grid.

Goals and learning approach

What you are trying to achieve needs to drive your approach.

Ringing by structure

Get going:.
Use whatever learning approach you like most to acquire enough knowledge to ring a plain course. Ring a few and see what aspects of the method spring out, and study these. Practice until courses and simple touches are ringable.

Performance Level

If you are wishing to achieve 720s, Quarters, or peals:
start with the "get going" as above, add in the bits that are natural to you.
Study the Double Place Bell sequences, and the lines.
Practice a lot.
Achieve some performances .

Method Mastery Level

It is unusual for a band to wish to achieve mastery in a method like St Albans Delight Minor, however, this is a valuable stepping stone towards many Norwich group methods, and the disciplines leading to Mastery are worth pursuing.

Learning St Albans Delight Minor.

The Rules

St Albans Delight Minor - the rules
Ring 6ths place Morning Star Treble Bob with 14 at the 2-3 cross-section, and 5ths at the Half Lead

The Structure

The simple regularity of the Oxford places in the structure is only disturbed by the 1-4 hunting box at the 2-3 cross-section.

Double Blue Lines

The Double Blue Lines give a useful overview of the method, adding context which is helpful for overcoming trips.

The Double Place Bell sequences are identical with College Bob (6ths place St. Clement's College Bob) Minor.

St Albans Delight Minor, 1-2

Diagram: St Albans Delight Minor, 1-2.

St Albans Delight Minor, 3-4

Diagram: St Albans Delight Minor, 3-4.

St Albans Delight Minor, 5-6

Diagram: St Albans Delight Minor, 5-6.

Artefacts

A Blue Line feature worth noting is the 3-lie-1-5ths-1-lie-3 of 5ths Place Bell.

Place Notation and Grid

The choice here is personal preference. The author’s preference is the visual nature of the grid.

Pictels

Note the Oxford-like places (X 34 X ):
1 - Each time the Treble dodges in 1-2
2 - Each time the Treble dodges in 5-6.

Section by Section

(To follow once more practise has been achieved).

Ringing St. Albans Delight Minor.

Track the treble

Awareness of the position of the treble is a key skill for most bellringing methods, and a significant help in ringing College Bob IV Delight Minor. Some hints and tips for developing the skill are given in the techniques section.

Awareness of the position of the treble is useful as a method structure guide.
The key to the method is the treble dodging in 3-4.
The three-pull dodge in 5-6 is counted as: Section, cross-section, section, in either direction.
The Half Lead three-pull dodge is counted as: section, Half Lead, section.

Positional Awareness

Place Notation Elements

The method uses X, 12, 14, 16, 34, 56, but not 36.

Place Bells, Pivot Leads, and Staging posts

164523 LE 16: College Bob; Burton T.B.; Norfolk S.

1-2:1-2, 1-5, 1-4, 1-3, 1-6, 1-2
3-4:3-4, 6-3, 2-6, 5-2, 4-5, 3-4
5-6:6-5, 2-4, 5-3, 4-6, 3-2, 6-5 :

5ths place bell is the pivot bell, see notes above.
The pivot lead for 3-4 is when they dodge together in 3-4 at the Half Lead, (the dodge in the far-dodge-near).
The pivot lead for 5-6 is when they dodge together in 1-2 at the Half Lead, (the second dodge of the 3-pull).

The pivot leads are perhaps usable as staging posts (aka handrail).

Awareness of other bells

The far-dodge-near in 3-4 either aligns with the 3-pull in 1-2, or with the dodge-5ths-dodge of the pivot bell, or with the bell passing through 3-4 in the opposite direction.
The 3-pull in 1-2 either aligns with a bell in 3-4 making far dodge near or with a pivot bell working with the treble in 5-6.

Coursing Order in St Albans Delight Minor

Natural Coursing Order is preserved by the “Westminster above” nature of the work above the treble. Natural Coursing Order is well supported below the treble; starting with the plain lead of 3rds place bell, the bells lead in natural coursing order until 6ths place bell leads.

Ringing the Method

Just enjoy it, it’s easier than expected because of so much natural coursing order and static work in 5-6.

Bobs and Singles.

Bobs replace the 6ths place at the Lead End with 4ths as per Reverse Bob.

Touches of St Albans Delight Minor.

Use bobs-only touches of College Bob Minor.