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 Anne & St Agnes, Gresham St
 Photo: Dickon Love, 24 Apr 2004
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Details of the Bells |
| Bell | Weight (most recent) | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | ||
| ® | Single bell | 3 cwt approx. | 23⅞" | 1858 | John Warner & Sons | Never |
Inscriptions |
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History |
| 1548 | The old church was severely damaged by fire and reconstructed. [1] | ||
| 1552 | Record of five great bells in the steeple and a little bell. [2] | ||
| 1620 | A source suggests that a bell was recast by Thomas Bartlett. | ||
| 1624 | The church was repaired and beautified. [3] | ||
| 1630 | The tower was repaired and a new turret was built to house the Saints Bell. [4] | ||
| 1666 | Church destroyed in the Great Fire. The adjacent church of St John, Zachary was also consumed in the Great Fire and not rebuilt, so its parish was united with that of St Anne & St Agnes. | ||
| 1680 | The church was rebuilt. A source (according to Walters) suggests that the bell was recast by Philip Wightman. | ||
| 1681 | Present church completed by Wren. It was built of brick with a western tower 14ft square and 95 ft high. | ||
| 1708 | Record of no bells in the church. | ||
| 1714 | Record of no bells in the church. [5] | ||
| 1858 | Bell cast and hung for full circle ringing in its own timber frame. It is suggested that this is a recast of an earlier bell said to have been cracked by lightning. If so, this earlier bell must have hung in the top of the turret where there are signs of a bearing slots and other beams cut away to make room for a swinging bell. | ||
| 1940 | Church damaged during a bombing raid. | ||
| 1961 | Church rebuilt and rededicated. | ||
| 2020 | The church, having being put under the care of St Vedast Foster Lane, arranged for the bell to be restored.This was one of the chapters of a wider restoration of the church that took place. The bell was rehung with new fittings by Nicholson Engineering Ltd. |
| [1] | This Church, by casualty of Fire, in the Year 1548. was burnt, so far as it was combustible; but since, newly repaired. (A Survey of the Cities of London and Westminster, John Strype, 1720) |
| [2] | (Edwardian Inventory, 1552) |
| [3] | It was repaired again richly, and very worthily beautified, in the Year of our Lord, 1624. (A Survey of the Cities of London and Westminster, John Strype, 1720) |
| [4] | In the Years 1629. and 1630. the Steeple, decayed and perished, with great Care, and much Cost, was repaired; a new Turret made for the Saints Bell. (A Survey of the Cities of London and Westminster, John Strype, 1720) |
| [5] | "This ancient Parish-Church was burnt down in the Year 1548, and the second Year of King Edward VI: but afterwards rebuilt; and beautified again, in 1624; and burnt down again in 1666, rebuilt again of Brick, with a low Steeple eighty Foot high, and some few Ornaments, but no Monuments, Organ nor Bells; but it's a decent Church within, and was finished in 1680; and lastly beautified in 1703; and so continues." ("Pietas Londinensis Or the Present Ecclesiastical State of London", James Paterson AM, 1714) |
The church |
Early engraving. Photo: |
The belfry |
The Warner bell hung for ringing in its frame with a broken wheel Photo: Dickon R Love, 5 Mar 2010 |
Photo: Dickon R Love, 5 Mar 2010 |
Photo: Dickon R Love, 5 Mar 2010 |
Photo: Dickon R Love, 5 Mar 2010 |
The floor beneath the belfry. An extra piece of timber bracing can be seen to the right of the picture pointing up. One edge of the frame is bolted to this piece of timber. The rope hole can also be seen. Photo: Dickon R Love, 5 Mar 2010 |
Photo: Dickon R Love, 5 Mar 2010 |
Here is a view up the inside of the turret above the belfry. At the top can be seen a square arrangement of beams. On two sides there are bearing slots and on the other two sides, the beams have been cut away to accommodate a swinging bell, probably abou Photo: Dickon R Love, 5 Mar 2010 |
| Love's Guide to the Church Bells of the City of London | Page updated: 15 March 2020 |