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 Botolph-without-Aldersgate, Aldersgate
 Photo: Dickon Love, May 2001
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Details of the Bells |
| Bell | Weight (most recent) | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | ||
| ꓕ | Large bell | 12-0-14 | 41" | G | 1847 | Charles & George Mears, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ꓕ | Small bell | 2 cwt approx. | 22" | 1755 | Lester & Pack, Whitechapel | Never |
Inscriptions |
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How the bells are tuned |
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Prior to 1847 |
| Bell | Weight | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate | |
| Large bell | 11-3-7 | Unknown | Nett weight minus staple and dirt |
Prior to 1796 |
| Bell | Weight | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate | |
| Treble (of 5) | Unknown | Tower rebuilt 1796 without all the bells | ||||||
| 2nd (of 5) | Unknown | Tower rebuilt 1796 without all the bells | ||||||
| 3rd (of 5) | Unknown | Tower rebuilt 1796 without all the bells | ||||||
| 4th (of 5) | Unknown | Tower rebuilt 1796 without all the bells | ||||||
| Tenor (of 5) | Unknown | Tower rebuilt 1796 without all the bells |
History |
| 1552 | Record of 3 bells and a sanctus. [1] | ||
| 1627 | Old church repaired and a large portion of the steeple rebuilt. | ||
| 1666 | Church slightly damaged in the Great Fire. | ||
| 1708 | Record of "5 bells to ring in a Peal". | ||
| 1714 | Paterson recorded 5 bells. [2] | ||
| 1730 | Laughton mentions the bells and ringing conditions in 1730. He counts six bells, the tenor being "625 years old" [in 1730]. | ||
| 1755 | The current smaller bell was cast. | ||
| 1790 | The church was pulled down and a new one erected at a cost of £10,000, by Nathaniel Wright. The 5 bells were dismantled and probably disposed of at this time, apart from the one that is still in the tower. | ||
| 1792 | The new church was completed. The frame probably dates from this time. | ||
| 1847 | The single bell was recast by Whitechapel and the Sanctus was refitted. [3] | ||
| 1897 | F C. Eeles recorded two bells, one (the small one) on top of the steeple, the other in the tower. | ||
| 1996 | A major restoration took place in the church and the service bell was rehung dead in its frame to allow it to be rung with an internal hammer. |
| [1] | "iij (?) bells & a sayntes bell" (Edwardian Inventory, 1552) |
| [2] | () |
| [3] | [A] "Churchwardens of St.Botolph, Aldersgate Street. By old bell 11-3-21, less 14 staple and dirt, 11-3-7 nett @ £4/4/2 £49.12.3" [B] "Bell 12-0-14 £76.7.9, clapper, stock wheel ironwork stay and slider, stock and ironwork complete and roller for a 22 Inch Bell £11.10.0, 1 bell rope £2.2.0" ([A] Whitechapel Daybook, 23 Aug 1847, [B] Whitechapel Daybook 1 Dec 1847) |
Old engravings |
Old engraving. Photo: |
Photos of the belfry |
The larger bell. Photo: Dickon R Love, 25 Jan 2007 |
Looking up to the smaller bell. Photo: Dickon R Love, 25 Jan 2007 |
The larger bell. Photo: Dickon R Love, 25 Jan 2007 |
The larger bell. Photo: Dickon R Love, 25 Jan 2007 |
The larger bell. Photo: Dickon R Love, 25 Jan 2007 |
| Love's Guide to the Church Bells of the City of London | Page updated: 13 October 2019 |