The Bells of the City of London
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Love's
Guide to The Bells of the City of London |
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St Andrew by the Wardrobe, Queen Victoria St
 Photo: Dickon Love, May 2001
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Details of the Bells |
| Bell | Weight (most recent) | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | ||
| ꓕ | 1 | 5-0-1 | 29" | Cx | 1961 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ꓕ | 2 | 6-3-0 | 32" | B# | 1961 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ꓕ | 3 | 8-0-8 | 35" | A♯ | 1961 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ҈ | Disused | 8-1-13 | 36½" | A♭ | 1420 | Worcester Foundry | Never. Cracked. |
Inscriptions |
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How the bells are tuned |
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Prior to 1961 |
| Bell | Weight* | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate | |
| Sanctus | 3½ cwt approx. | 24" | G | 1853 | John Warner & Sons | Never | ||
| Treble (of 3) | 4-3-23 | 30⅜" | C | 1757 | Abraham Rudhall | Never | Weights are 1961. From Avenbury, Herefs. | |
| 2nd (of 3) | 6-0-18 | 32¾" | A | 1837 | William and John Taylor | Never | Weights are 1961. From Avenbury, Herefs. |
History |
| 1552 | Record of 3 bells and a clock bell. [1] | ||
| 1666 | Church destroyed in the Great Fire. | ||
| 1685 | Building began on a new church by Wren with a south west tower of 4 storeys to a height of about 86 ft. The church was so named after its proximity to the King's Great Wardrobe, a mansion built by Sir John Beauchamp, and after his death in 1359, purchased by King Edward III and used as an office for the Keepers of the King's Apparel. | ||
| 1695 | Building of the church complete. | ||
| 1708 | Record of no bells in the tower. | ||
| 1714 | Record of no bells in the tower. [2] | ||
| 1850 | Clock installed (originally from Christ Church Rotherhithe). | ||
| 1853 | A bell was cast by John Warner and hung in the church. | ||
| 1933 | Three bells were acquired from Avenbury, Herefordshire (which was in ruins). They were retuned and rehung dead in the tower of St Andrew by the Wardrobe by Whitechapel to replace the Warner bell, which was hung as a Sanctus bell. | ||
| 1941 | The church and bells were damaged in the War. They were left hanging from a girder at the top of the burned out tower and lowered by Mears & Stainbank. | ||
| 1961 | The church was restored and the front 2 bells and Warner Sanctus bell were recast into a new set of 3 by Mears & Stainbank. The tenor was preserved in the church. |
| [1] | (Edwardian Inventory, 1552) |
| [2] | "Rebuilt fo Brick, but the Corners are of Stone; with a large square Tower, eighty six Foot high; and it's now a large and decent Parish Church, and was finish'd in the Year 1693; but there are no Monuments, Bells, nor Organ in it." ("Pietas Londinensis Or the Present Ecclesiastical State of London", James Paterson AM, 1714) |
The bell on the ground |
The cross on the mediaeval bell. Photo: Dickon R Love, 16 Dec 2009 |
The King's Head. Photo: Dickon R Love, 16 Dec 2009 |
The Queen's Head. Photo: Dickon R Love, 16 Dec 2009 |
The three bells in the tower. |
Photo: Dickon R Love, 16 Dec 2009 |
Photo: Dickon R Love, 16 Dec 2009 |
Photo: Dickon R Love, 16 Dec 2009 |
David Cawley with the mediaeval bell. Photo: Dickon R Love, 1 Feb 2007 |
The church |
Old photograph. Photo: DLC collection |
| Love's Guide to the Church Bells of the City of London | Page updated: 13 October 2019 |