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 Holborn, Holborn Circus
 Photo: Dickon Love, 25 Nov 2006
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Details of the Bells |
| Bell | Weight (most recent) | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | ||
| ® | Treble | 5-1-0 | 28" | F | 1960 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ® | 2 | 5-2-5 | 29" | E | 1960 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ® | 3 | 6-1-1 | 31" | D | 1960 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ® | 4 | 7-2-18 | 33" | C | 1960 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ® | 5 | 8-1-8 | 35" | B♭ | 1960 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ® | 6 | 9-2-24 | 37" | A | 1960 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ® | 7 | 12-1-20 | 41" | G | 1960 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ® | Tenor | 18-1-21 | 46" | F | 1960 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never |
Inscriptions |
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The original set of four installed in the 1447 tower |
| Bell | Weight | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate | |
| One of the above | 1506 | Unknown | Never | Recast 1529 | ||||
| Treble (of 4) | 1457 | Unknown | Never | Recast either 1506 below or 1529 | ||||
| 2nd (of 4) | 1457 | Unknown | Never | Recast either 1506 below or 1529 | ||||
| 3rd (of 4) | 1457 | Unknown | Never | Recast either 1506 below or 1529 | ||||
| Tenor (of 4) | 1457 | Unknown | Never | Recast either 1506 below or 1529 |
The 1529 set of four and subsequent recasts |
| Bell | Weight | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate | |
| One of the above | 1567 | Unknown | Never | Recast 1587 | ||||
| One of the above | 1566 | Unknown | Never | Recast 1587 | ||||
| Tenor (of 4) | 18-0-13 | 1529 | Thomas Lawrence | Never | Recast 1587 or as below | |||
| 3rd (of 4) | 1529 | Thomas Lawrence | Never | Recast 1587 or as below | ||||
| 2nd (of 4) | 1529 | Thomas Lawrence | Never | Recast 1587 or as below | ||||
| Treble (of 4) | 1529 | Thomas Lawrence | Never | Recast 1587 or as below |
The Robert Mot ring of six |
| Bell | Weight | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate | |
| Sanctus | 3½ cwt approx. | 25½" | 1587 | Robert Mot | Never | Destroyed in 1941 | ||
| Treble (of 6) | 1587 | Robert Mot | Never | Recast 1731 | ||||
| 2nd (of 6) | 1587 | Robert Mot | Never | Recast 1731 | ||||
| 3rd (of 6) | 1587 | Robert Mot | Never | Recast 1731 | ||||
| 4th (of 6) | 1587 | Robert Mot | Never | Recast 1731 | ||||
| 5th (of 6) | 1587 | Robert Mot | Never | Recast 1731 | ||||
| Tenor (of 6) | 28-2-7 | 1587 | Robert Mot | Never | Recast 1731 having been broken |
The Richard Phelps ring of eight |
| Bell | Weight | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate | |
| Treble (of 8) | 6 cwt approx. | 31½" | 1731 | Richard Phelps | Never | Damaged 1941, recast 1960 | ||
| 2nd (of 8) | 7 cwt approx. | 32¼" | 1731 | Richard Phelps | Never | Damaged 1941, recast 1960 | ||
| 3rd (of 8) | 8-0-2 | 34½" | 1731 | Richard Phelps | Never | Damaged 1941, recast 1960 | ||
| 4th (of 8) | 9-1-21 | 37" | 1731 | Richard Phelps | Never | Damaged 1941, recast 1960 | ||
| 5th (of 8) | 11-3-7 | 41" | 1731 | Richard Phelps | Never | Recast 1921 | ||
| 6th (of 8) | 13-1-3 | 43½" | 1731 | Richard Phelps | Never | Damaged 1941, recast 1960 | ||
| 7th (of 8) | 18-2-4 | 48¼" | 1731 | Richard Phelps | Never | Damaged 1941, recast 1960 | ||
| Tenor (of 8) | 27½ cwt approx. | 54" | 1731 | Richard Phelps | Never | Recast 1921 |
The bells that were damaged or destroyed in 1941 |
| Bell | Weight | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate | |
| Sanctus | 3½ cwt approx. | 25½" | 1587 | Robert Mot | Never | Destroyed in 1941 | ||
| Treble (of 8) | 6 cwt approx. | 31½" | D♭ | 1731 | Richard Phelps | Never | Never weighed. Combined weight of 1&2 was 13-0-8. Recast 1960. | |
| 2nd (of 8) | 7 cwt approx. | 32¼" | C | Defaced | Mears & Stainbank | Never | Inscription defaced. Never weighed. Combined weight of 1&2 was 13-0-8. Recast 1960. | |
| 3rd (of 8) | 8-0-2 | 34½" | B♭ | 1731 | Richard Phelps | Never | Damaged 1941, recast 1960 | |
| 4th (of 8) | 9-1-21 | 37" | A♭ | 1731 | Richard Phelps | Never | Damaged 1941, recast 1960 | |
| 5th (of 8) | 11-3-7 | 41" | G♭ | 1921 | Mears & Stainbank | Never | Damaged 1941, recast 1960 | |
| 6th (of 8) | 13-1-3 | 43½" | F | 1731 | Richard Phelps | Never | Damaged 1941, recast 1960 | |
| 7th (of 8) | 18-2-4 | 48¼" | E♭ | 1731 | Richard Phelps | Never | Damaged 1941, recast 1960 | |
| Tenor (of 8) | 26-3-2 | 54" | D♭ | 1921 | Mears & Stainbank | Never | Damaged 1941, recast 1960 |
History |
| 1447 | The tower was built. | ||
| 1457 | Four bells installed in the tower. | ||
| 1506 | One of the 4 bells was recast. | ||
| 1529 | The bells were recast by Thomas Lawrence into a new ring of 4, tenor 18-0-13. | ||
| 1552 | Record of 4 bells in the tower. [1] | ||
| 1566 | One of the bells was recast. | ||
| 1567 | Another bell was recast. | ||
| 1587 | All the bells were recast with extra metal by Robert Mot to create a ring of 8 bells, tenor 28-2-7. A Sanctus bell was also cast which was to remain in the tower until 1941. | ||
| 1667 | The church escaped the Great Fire of London. | ||
| 1684 | Work began to rebuild the church, designed by Wren, although part of the old tower was left. | ||
| 1692 | The rebuilding work was completed. | ||
| 1709 | Record of 6 bells in the tower (Paterson) "and two more intended". | ||
| 1731 | The bells were recast into a ring of 8 bells by Richard Phelps. [2] | ||
| 1920 | The 5th and tenor were recast by Mears & Stainbank when the bells were rehung with new fittings in a new iron frame at a total cost of £515. | ||
| 1941 | The church was gutted in an air raid. The bells had been left up and were heard to ring down as the church was burning. They were left hanging, cracked in the tower until they were replaced 20 years later. [3] | ||
| 1961 | The old bells were recast into a lighter ring of 8 by Mears & Stainbank and were rung for the reopening of the church in this year. |
| [1] | (Edwardian Inventory, 1552) |
| [2] | "This day the Eight Bells belonging to the Parish Church of St. Andrews Holborne, were taken down; and carried to Mr. Phelp's, Bell-Founder in Whitechapel, in order to be new cast." [Norwich Gazette, 5 June 1731] "This Day the Sett of Bells, belonging to the Parifh Church of St. Andrew's Holbourn [sic], were taken down and carried to Mr. Phelps's Bell-Founder, at Whitechapel, in order to be new cast." [The St. James' Evening Post, Sat. 29 May 1731] "This Day the Sett of Bells belonging to the Parifh Church of St. Andrew's Holbourn [sic] were taken down, in order to be new caft by Mr. Richard Phelps of Whitechapel, the Tenor being broke, and others crack 'd" [The Whitehall Evening Post, Sat. 29 May 1731] "The same Day [Yesterday], in the Morning, eight new Bells that were Cast by Mr. Phelps at Whitechapel were brought to St. Andrew’s Church, Holborn, and three of them hang’d up in the Afternoon. They were tun’d by the Approbation of Mr. Stanley, Organist of the said Church" [Daily Advertiser, Tues. 24 Aug. 1731] "A new Ring of eight Bells having been cast by Mr. Phelps of Whitechapel, for the Parish of St. Andrew’s, Holborn, the same were Yesterday brought home, and will be hung with all Expedition. The Tennor [sic] weighs 27 Hundredweight and half." [Daily Courant, Tues. 24 Aug. 1731; also Fog’s Weekly Journal, Sat. 28 Aug. 1731 with ‘last Monday’ vice ‘Yesterday’] "The Set of new Bells which was lately hung up in the Steeple of St. Andrew’s Holbourn [sic], was Yesterday rung for the first time by the London Scholars, and a handsome Entertainment was given to the said Ringers at the Fountain-Inn, Hatton-Garden." [Daily Advertiser, Tues. 7 Sept. 1731] (Various newspaper articles) |
| [3] | "Take another case, St Andrew's, Holborn. These bells are fitted with iron headstocks, and hung in an iron bell-frame. The Tower is gutted right through but the bells are still hanging in their framework, although every bit of the timber made fittings is destroyed. The bells are however cracked, due to the heat" (Letter from AA Hughes to the Rector of St.Andrew Undershaft, 15 May 1941 (per David Cawley Apr 2004)) |
Articles
The church |
The church in 1838 Photo: |
Photo: |
The belfry |
The treble in the belfry. Photo: Dickon R Love, 25 Nov 2006 |
The 7th in the foreground and tenor behind it. Photo: Dickon R Love, 25 Nov 2006 |
| Love's Guide to the Church Bells of the City of London | Page updated: 13 October 2019 |