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Love's
Guide to The Bells of the City of London |
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St Michael Paternoster Royal, College Hill
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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 |
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How the bells are tuned |
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Prior to 1892 |
Bell | Weight | 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 |