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 Mary Woolnoth, Lombard St
 Photo: Dickon R Love
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♫ The 3 bells ringing.(Dickon R Love, 28 Nov 2002) |
Details of the Bells |
| Bell | Weight (most recent) | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | ||
| ® | Sanctus Bell | 2 cwt approx. | 20" | A | 1670 | William Eldridge | Never | |
| ® | 1 | 4½ cwt approx. | 27¼" | F | 1672 | William Eldridge | Never | |
| ® | 2 | 13½ cwt approx. | 41½" | G | 1670 | William Eldridge | Never |
Bellframes |
| Position |
Frame | Bells | Year | Maker | Material | Truss(es) | Local Layout | |||
| North frame | 1 | 1841 | James Shaw | Timber | 1 |
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| South frame | 2,3 | 1841 | James Shaw | Timber |
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2 |
Inscriptions |
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How the bells are tuned |
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History |
| 1438 | The church was rebuilt on old foundations and consecrated by an Irish Bishop. | ||
| 1539 | Record of payment to clocksmith for keeping the chimes and mending baldrick of the 4th bell. [1] | ||
| 1552 | Record of 5 bells and mention of a chime of sacring bells on a wheel. [2] | ||
| 1554 | Record of the purchase of 2 sacring bells. [3] | ||
| 1560 | Records mention a saunce bell. [4] | ||
| 1564 | Records mention a payment "to a bell founder in hounediche" for trussing the bells. [5] | ||
| 1567 | Records mention the payment to a bellfounder for "the mendinge of the Clapper of the Thirde bell and for hanginge of the bell right in the stocke". [6] | ||
| 1585 | Records refer to paymentr for two stirropes for the tenor. [7] | ||
| 1595 | Records give "Item for a Joice to hould steddy the fourth bell and for taking of the same bell out and putting the iron wedges". [8] | ||
| 1666 | The Great Fire destroyed everything that could be burned, but the north wall and part of the east wall were rebuilt. The remainder was patched up as the parish was eager to gave the church ready for Divine Service. | ||
| 1670 | The service bell and sanctus bell were cast. The parish was united with that of St Margaret Haw. | ||
| 1672 | A smaller service bell was cast. | ||
| 1708 | Record of the 2 bells and the sanctus. [9] | ||
| 1711 | The building was found to be very unsafe, and as it was feared that it might fall, it was pulled down and rebuilt. The bells were retained. | ||
| 1716 | The new church was completed by Nicholas Hawksmoor. | ||
| 1727 | The new church was reopened on Easter Day. | ||
| 1824 | Record of "3 bells". | ||
| 1841 | There is an elaborate inscription on the frame "Jas Shaw 1841" which suggests that either it was constructed in 1841, or some restoration work took place in that year. | ||
| 1900 | The church was reopened. | ||
| 1908 | At this time the bells were rehung with new fittings. [10] | ||
| 1940 | The church was damaged in air raids, but not seriously. | ||
| 1947 | The bells were overhauled by Mears & Stainbank. | ||
| 2013 | A large crack was discovered in the canons of the sanctus bell and all ringing ceased. | ||
| 2014 | Quotations were received from the Whitechapel Bell Foundry to restore the 3 bells. A further quotation was received to install a new ring of 8 small bells. Neither of these schemes (to date) have been realised. |
| [1] | (Churchwardens accounts 1539-40) |
| [2] | Item in the steple five great bells and a litill bell wt a clock and a chyme and ropes to the same. (Edwardian Inventory,1552) |
| [3] | (Churchwardens accounts 1554-5) |
| [4] | (Churchwardens accounts 1560-1) |
| [5] | (Churchwardens accounts 1564-5) |
| [6] | (Churchwardens accounts 1567-8) |
| [7] | (Churchwardens accounts 1585+6) |
| [8] | (Churchwardens accounts 1595-6) |
| [9] | 2 bells and the Saints () |
| [10] | The fine bells of the famous Hawksmoor Church of St. Mary Woolnoth - which stands on one of the most valuable sites London - are now being rehung, owing to their dangerous condition. The church escaped destruction in the Great Fire, and at one time only needed slight restoration by Wren; but later on evident signs of the damage done manifested themselves, and then Hawksmoor, Wren’s famous pupil, was called in, and designed the present edifice. (Islington Gazette, 10 Aug 1908) |
Pictures of the church |
An old engraving of the church. Photo: |
The ringing room (tenor rope on left, rung by Paul Carless, with David Baverstock on the treble). Ringing was provided by the Ancient Society of College Youths for the Annual Thanksgiving Service. Photo: Dickon R Love, 28 Nov 2002 |
Pictures of the belfry and ringing room |
The tenor (at the back) and the middle bell in the foreground. Photo: Dickon R Love, 28 Nov 2002 |
And in a separate frame, the treble. Photo: Dickon R Love, 28 Nov 2002 |
Photo: |
The church in c.1920. Photo: Spitalfields Life |
| Love's Guide to the Church Bells of the City of London | Page updated: 13 October 2019 |
