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 Swithin London Stone, Cannon St
 Photo: ASCY archive
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Earlier bells |
| Bell | Weight* | Weight (Weight now (JT records)) |
Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate | |
| Service bell | 3-1-19 | 3-1-8 | 26¼" | D♯ | 1680 | James Bartlett | Never | Transferred to Westminster College, Oxford in 1856 | |
| Sanctus bell | 1 cwt approx. | 17¼" | 1755 | Thomas Lester | Never | Fate unknown |
History |
| 1552 | Record of 4 bells and a sanctus. [1] | ||
| 1603 | Records mention ropes for 4 bells and a saunce bell. [3] | ||
| 1607 | Records mention ropes for the 4th and 5th bells. [2] | ||
| 1608 | Records mention "purchase of bells for quarter clockes" (£4.9.0). [4] | ||
| 1661 | Records refer to payments for ringing. [5] | ||
| 1666 | The ancient church was destroyed in the Great Fire. A "parcell of bell mettle" was sold for £13. [6] | ||
| 1678 | The church was rebuilt by Wren with a north west tower reaching a height of 150 ft. | ||
| 1680 | A bell was cast by James Barlett. | ||
| 1683 | There was a payment to "Mr. Bartlett the bell founder (£5.8.0)", presumably to cast the service bell of 1680 (late payments were not that uncommon). | ||
| 1708 | Record of 1 bell. | ||
| 1755 | A sanctus bell was cast by Thomas Lester. | ||
| 1897 | Record of 2 bells (large and small). [7] | ||
| 1940 | The church was slightly damaged in the War - the roof and the spire were burned. The pulpit was transferred to All Hallows by the tower, as was (at least) the larger bell. The fate of the smaller bell is unknown. Perhaps it was in the burned out spire, or perhaps it was just scrapped or otherwise destroyed. | ||
| 1954 | The parish was united with that of St Stephen, Walbrook. | ||
| 1956 | The larger bell was transferred to John Taylor's in Loughborough. The canons were reported to have been broken and half missing. Here the canons were removed although the bell was not tuned. The bell was transferred to Westminster College, Oxford, which was having new premises built on Harcourt Hill (opened in 1959). [8] | ||
| 1962 | The site was sold (in 1960) and the church ruins demolished. |
| [1] | four bells and a saunce bell (Edwardian Inventory, 1552) |
| [2] | (Churchwarden accounts, 1607) |
| [3] | (Churchwarden accounts, 1603-4) |
| [4] | (Churchwarden accounts, 1608-9) |
| [5] | (Churchwarden accounts, 1661-2) |
| [6] | (Churchwarden accounts, 1683) |
| [7] | (Eeles, FC, 1897) |
| [8] | Bell from "London, All Hallows", received May 1956 for New Westminster College, North Hinksey, Oxon [now]. Bell 26¼" with broken canons (half missing), weight 3-1-19 nett (3-1-21 gross). Inscription RICHARD PIERCE RICHARD POYNTER CHURCHWARDENS 1680 Waist: (Founder’s mark with three bells). Job book 400 p.77 -Westminster College, Harcourt Hill, North Hinksey, Berks [then]. Job, July 1958. Old bell (1680) ex All Hallows, London [recte St Swithin London Stone] 26¼" 3-1-8. Not tuned. Remains of canons removed. Hung with trigger-action clapper; Tuning book (old bells received) 2 p.441 - May 1956, All Hallows London, 1. Nominal 1222 [E♭-32] (full partials 329, 615, 749, 963, 1222) (John Taylor Job Book, Taylor File 432/5) |
Pictures of the church |
Photo: |
Pictures of the London Stone |
An old photo of the London Stone set into the wall of the church. Photo: ASCY archive |
The stone today set into one of the office buildings on Cannon Street Photo: Dickon R Love, 1 Dec 2002 |
The churchyard after the demolition |
The Churchyard is preserved as an open area. Photo: Dickon R Love, 1 Dec 2002 |
| Love's Guide to the Church Bells of the City of London | Page updated: 9 August 2020 |