The Bells of the City of London
|
|
Love's
Guide to The Bells of the City of London |
|
All Hallows Staining, Mark Lane
 Photo: Dickon Love, 15 Aug 2001
|
|
Removed in 1890 |
| Bell | Weight | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate | |
| Treble | 3-1-2 | 24½ | F♯ | 1697 | James Bartlett | Never | Removed and recast 1890 | |
| 2nd | 3-2-26 | 25½" | E | 1607 | Joseph Carter II | Never | Removed and recast 1890 | |
| 3rd | 4½ cwt approx. | 27½" | D | 1458 | Mechelen Foundry | Never | Removed to Finsbury Pantechnicon then Grocers' Hall | |
| 4th | 5-2-10 | 30" | C♯ | 1682 | James Bartlett | Never | Removed and recast 1890 | |
| 5th | 6-1-0 | 32½" | B | 1682 | James Bartlett | Never | Removed and recast 1890 | |
| Tenor | 8-2-21 | 36½" | A | 1647 | Anthony Bartlett | Never | Removed and recast 1890 |
The Bells for St Paul, Homerton |
| Bell | Weight* | Weight (As supplied to Stone) |
Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate | |
| Treble | 4-0-3 | 4-0-0 | 25⁷⁄₁₆" | F♯ | 1890 | Mears & Stainbank | 2010 Whitechapel | Hanging in Stone | |
| 2nd | 4-2-14 | 4-1-26 | 26¹³⁄₁₆" | E | 1890 | Mears & Stainbank | 2010 Whitechapel | Hanging in Stone | |
| 3rd | 5-0-1 | 4-3-27 | 28⅝" | D | 1890 | Mears & Stainbank | 2010 Whitechapel | Hanging in Stone | |
| 4th | 5-2-12 | 5-2-10 | 29⅞" | C♯ | 1890 | Mears & Stainbank | 2010 Whitechapel | Hanging in Stone | |
| 5th | 6-3-9 | 6-3-8 | 32¹⁵⁄₁₆" | B | 1890 | Mears & Stainbank | 2010 Whitechapel | Hanging in Stone | |
| Tenor | 8-1-9 | 8-1-8 | 35⅞" | A | 1890 | Mears & Stainbank | Never | Recast 2010 for Stone |
History |
| 1458 | A bell was cast by the Mechelen Foundry, Belgium. | ||
| 1492 | The Churchwardens Accounts mention a Sanctus bell. | ||
| 1509 | The Churchwardens Accounts report that the Great Bell was recast. | ||
| 1552 | Record of 4 bells, a Sanctus and a clock in the tower. [1] | ||
| 1579 | The Churchwardens Accounts report that a new 2nd bell was cast by Robert Mot weighing 3-1-6. | ||
| 1583 | The Churchwardens Accounts report that a small broken bell of 78 lbs was replaced with a larger one of 118 lbs. | ||
| 1592 | The Churchwardens Accounts report that a bell was recast by Robert Mot. | ||
| 1607 | A bell was cast by Joseph Carter. | ||
| 1610 | A payment was made to "Mr Lamb the Bell founder". | ||
| 1647 | A bell was cast by Anthony Bartlett. | ||
| 1666 | The church survived the Great Fire. | ||
| 1682 | 2 bells were cast by James Bartlett. | ||
| 1697 | A bell was cast by James Bartlett. | ||
| 1708 | Record of a ring of 6, plus a smaller bell. [2] | ||
| 1824 | Another record of a ring of 6, plus a smaller bell. | ||
| 1870 | The church was demolished except for the tower and crypt. The parish was united with that of St Olave, Hart Street. | ||
| 1890 | The bells were removed from the tower. All except the 3rd were recast by Mears & Stainbank to the order of the Grocers' Company (the Patrons) who had built a replacement church of St Paul at Homerton. A new 3rd was substituted and the whole ring was hung in the new tower. The Belgian bell was stored for some years in the Finsbury Pantechnicon but later set up at the Grocers' Hall. | ||
| 1968 | The Belgian bell was cracked in a fire that destroyed the Grocers' Hall but it was subsequently welded and restored. | ||
| 1983 | The six bells were removed from St Paul, Homerton and put into storage with a view to installing them at St Anne's, Limehouse. In the event, Limehouse received its bells from St Peter, Walworth, so they remained in storage under the care of the Keltek Trust. | ||
| 2000 | The bells were offered to St Nicholas, Deptford by the Keltek Trust. | ||
| 2005 | The Kent CA bought the 6 Homerton bells from the Keltek Trust and kept them in Trust for the church pending the launch of an appeal to augment them to 8 and hang them in a new frame in the tower of St Nicholas, Deptford. | ||
| 2007 | A change in management at St Nicholas, Deptford led to disinterest in the bells, so the bells were reacquired by the Keltek Trust. | ||
| 2010 | The bells were tuned ready to be hung in Stone-by-Dartford. It was clear that the tenor was inferior to the rest with a large porous patch in the waist that was visible inside and out. It was therefore recast. The bells were hung at Stone the following year. |
| [1] | (Edwardian Inventory, 1552) |
| [2] | "Six bells to ring in peal, besides a small one" () |
Bell photographs |
The former 3rd from the Mechelen Foundry on display in the Grocers' Hall. Photo: DLC collection |
The old 4th in 1968 shortly after the fire that cracked it. Photo: DLC collection |
Church drawings |
Old engraving. Photo: |
Old engraving. Photo: |
| Love's Guide to the Church Bells of the City of London | Page updated: 13 October 2019 |