Ellacombe apparatus

To enable full circle ringing, the Ellacombe ropes can be slackened to allow the hammers to drop away from the moving bells.

An example was in 1875 when he weighed in with a diatribe against a ringing competition at Slapton in Devon, when he wrote, "We blame the Vicar and churchwardens for allowing the bells to be so prostituted for the benefits of a publican's pocket...".

Consequently, the apparatus was removed from many towers in the past, leaving holes in the ceiling and often frames without ropes.

In towers where the apparatus remains in working order it is often still used to play simple call change sequences, hymn tunes, or carols at Christmas.

The apparatus is also used when insufficient full circle ringers are available, or where it is no longer safe to swing the bells.