Massachusetts Institute of Technology Guild of Bell Ringers

North American Guild of Change Ringers

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Guild of Bell Ringers rings hand bells at MIT and helps with maintaining and ringing the tower bells of the Old North Church in Boston. We have a tune ringing hand bell choir and a change ringing hand bell group. They each meet once a week for practices. If you would like to join, try it out, or just visit and listen, please email us at . We love teaching new people to ring and having visitors from other towers come ring with us!

Directions

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Guild of Bell Ringers: Handbells – MIT rooms 5-231 and 5-232

Directions to Building 5 from Kendall Square T stop:

Walk along Main street towards Ames Street (in the direction of the MIT Coop). Turn left on Ames Street and walk to Memorial Drive (right next to the Charles River). You will pass a big courtyard. Turn right on Massachusetts Ave. Building 5 is the second building on your right. Rooms 5-231 and 5-232 are on the second floor. More information on navigating around the MIT Campus can be found here.

Directions for driving are available from MIT.

Old North Church

To reach Old North Church from the Haymarket T stop (note that this T stop has two exits):

If you arrive via the Green Line, you will exit the Haymarket station at the bus station area, under a glass overhang. Go to the right out of this overhang, and cross the street at the traffic light. Walk over the bridge on Sudbury St., a bridge which looks like it is over a highway on the left and is next to a park on the right, going towards the low brick buildings that make up the North End. After you cross this bridge, turn right and take the next left onto Salem St., just before you reach Martinetti’s liquor store. Walk up Salem St., passing memorable street names such as Wiget and Prince. Continue up the hill until you see the church on your right, just opposite where Hull St. ends at Salem.

If you arrive via the Orange Line, the easiest way to exit is out onto Congress St. This is a divided road with a median down the middle (if you instead see a glass overhang and buses, see the directions above for the Green Line exit). Turn left after you exit the doors, and turn left on Hanover St. If it is a Saturday morning when you walk through here, it will be full of vegetable market stalls (if it is Sunday, you may smell that this is where the market was the previous day!). The Holocaust Memorial will be on your right as well as a pub named “Bell in Hand.” Continue on Hanover through a light, where there is a new park on the left and right. After you cross over this park area, turn left on Cross St., in front of a Martinetti’s liquor store. Then turn right at your first opportunity, onto Salem St. Walk up Salem St., passing memorable street names such as Wiget and Prince. Continue up the hill until you see the church on your right, just opposite where Hull St. ends at Salem.

Church of the Advent

The Church of the Advent is located between Charles Street and the Charles river, between the Boston Public Garden and the Charles Circle. The tower is located at the corner of Mount Vernon and Brimmer Streets. The Church of the Advent is within easy walking distance from MIT. The shortest route is as follows: Walk across the Longfellow Bridge (the one with the Red line tracks) and turn right onto Charles Street. Then continue walking towards the Boston Commons along Charles until Pinckney Street. Turn right on Pinckney Street (heading towards the river) and take the first street to the left (Brimmer Street). Continue walking until the the Church is reached. Please enter at the Parish Hall (Brimmer St) and continue through the church and into the library on Thursdays and enter by the door on Mt Vernon Street on Sundays. If you cross Mt Vernon Street, you’ve gone too far.

In bad weather, the Red line Charles Street stop is the closest T stop to The Church of the Advent. Upon exiting the T, turn left and cross the street to the CVS. Walk down the street to your immediate right; this is Charles Street. You will pass a number of antique shops. Turn right on Pickney Street, then left on Brimmer Street. Walk down Brimmer Street. The church is at the corner of Brimmer and Mt. Vernon Street

For practices, we normally meet in the Parish House lobby at 30 Brimmer Street. However, if you find that door locked after 7PM, ring the doorbell at the church doors (on the left edge of the frame of the right-hand pair of doors) on Mt. Vernon street and someone will come down to let you in you.