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

St Michael Paternoster Royal, College Hill

Photo: Dickon Love, May 2001

Details of the Bells

Bell		Weight (most recent)	Diameter	Note	Date	Founder	Retuned
Single bell		2¾ cwt approx.	21½"	A	1892	Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel	Never

Inscriptions

How the bells are tuned

Prior to 1892

Bell	Weight (most recent)	Diameter	Note	Date	Founder	Retuned	Fate
Single bell	3 cwt approx.	23"		1674	John Hodson	Never	Recast 1892

History

	1423		Sir Richard Whittington, the celebrated four times Lord Mayor of London died and was buried in the chancel. The church had been originally rebuilt by Sir Richard, who founded there a College of St Spirit and St Mary, from which College Hill takes its name. His remains were disturbed in the reign of Edward VI by Thomas Mountain, the Rector, who broke open his monument in the hope of discovering great treasure concealed within. He failed to find any, so he tore off from the corpse the leaden sheet in which it was wrapped. When Queen Mary succeeded to the throne, this sacriligious parson was ejected and Whittington's body was again covered in lead and honourably interred, and his monument was replaced.
	1666		The church was destroyed in the Great Fire, along with the 6 bells that were thought to be in the tower.
	1674		A bell was cast by John Hodson.
	1694		The body of the new church was completed.
	1713		A tower was added, reaching a height of 128 feet.
	1866		The church was restored.
	1892		The Hodson bell was recast by Mears & Stainbank.
	1968		The church, which had been damaged in the War, was restored by Elidir Davies. The bell was rehung in a small steel frame by Whitechapel. Its canons and cast-in crown staple were removed and it was half turned. The fittings consist of a wrought iron headstock, fixed steel gudgeons, ball bearings, iron lever, pulley and independent staple, all of 1968, and clapper of 1892 with a new top end.

Pictures of the church

The church in 1922. Photo: Spitalfields Life	The church in 1922. Photo: Spitalfields Life	The church in 1922. Photo: Spitalfields Life
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Pictures from the belfry

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

Page updated: 13 October 2019