Love's Guide to the Church Bells of the City of London

St Clement Eastcheap, Eastcheap

Photo: Dickon R Love

Details of the Bells

	Bell		Weight (most recent)	Diameter	Note	Date	Founder	Retuned
®	Single bell		6¼ cwt approx.	33¼"	C	1928	Thomas Mears II	Never

® - Hung for full circle ringing

Inscriptions

Prior to 1829

Bell		Weight	Diameter	Note	Date	Founder	Retuned	Fate
Single bell					1687	Philip Wightman	Never	Recast 1829

History

	1552		Record of 3 larger bells, a sanctus bell and also two little bells of silver. [1]
	1638		A new rope was provided for the sanctus bell. [2]
	1646		Francis Hewet [or Lewet?] was paid "for tackinge up some of the bells & new hanginge them, 10s." [3]
	1651		The 2nd (of 3) received a new wheel, and the sanctus bell was mended at a cost of £1.1.6. [4]
	1666		The church was destroyed in the Great Fire.
	1668		Money was paid "for mending the bells". This implies that the bells and tower were not badly damaged.
	1670		Records say the little bell received a new rope.
	1683		The present church was erected by Wren with a south west tower, 88ft high. It was finished in 1687.
	1687		A new bell was cast, probably by Philip Wightman according to Walters, for £14.12.3 and hung for £4.12.3.
	1829		The present bell was cast.
	1939		The church only suffered minor wartime damage.

[1]	Item in the Stepull of the said churche iij great bells and one sauncts bell (Edwardian Inventory, 1552)
[2]	(Churchwarden Accounts (Ms.977))
[3]	(Churchwarden Accounts (Ms.977))
[4]	(Churchwarden Accounts (Ms.977))

Old pictures of the church

Photo:

The church in 1830.
Photo:

Pictures of the belfry

The bell is seen here hanging in its timber frame with an electronic clock hammer on the near side.
Photo: Dickon R Love, Dec 2002

Photo: Dickon R Love, Dec 2002

The bell being rung up.
Photo: Dickon R Love, Dec 2002

Love's Guide to the Church Bells of the City of London

Page updated: 13 October 2019