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Little Chart, St Mary of Holy Rood (Old Church)
 Photo: 14th July, 1941. David Cawley collection.
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Bellframes |
| Frame | Bells | Year | Maker | Material | Truss(es) | Local Layout | |||
| 1 | All bells | 1956 | John Taylor & Co., Loughborough | Cast iron |
Inscriptions |
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Prior to 1944 |
| Bell | Weight (most recent) | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate | |
| Treble (of 6) | 4-0-14 | 26" | F | 1932 | Alfred Bowell | Never | Supplied 4-0-18. Recast 1956. | |
| 2nd (of 6) | 4-0-21 | 27½" | E♭ | 1722 | Samuel Knight | Never | Supplied 4-1-6. Recast 1956. | |
| 3rd (of 6) | 4-3-12 | 29" | D♭ | 1932 | Alfred Bowell | Never | Supplied 4-3-11. Recast 1956. | |
| 4th (of 6) | 5-3-3 | 32" | C | 1722 | Samuel Knight | Never | Stolen. Supplied weight given. | |
| 5th (of 6) | 6-2-13 | 34" | B♭ | 1722 | Samuel Knight | Never | Supplied 6-3-23. Recast 1956. | |
| Tenor (of 6) | 7-3-20 | 36" | A♭ | 1932 | Alfred Bowell | Never | Supplied 7-3-21. Recast 1956. |
Prior to 1932 |
| Bell | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate | |
| 2nd (of 5) | D♭ | 1722 | Samuel Knight | Never | Recast in 1932. | |
| Tenor (of 5) | A♭ | 1722 | Samuel Knight | Never | Recast in 1932. |
History |
| 1552 | Record of 4 bells. [1] | ||
| 1722 | 5 bells were cast by Samuel Knight. | ||
| 1742 | Tenor recast by Robert Catlin. | ||
| c | 1850 | In late 19th Cent, uninscribed Sanctus bell cast, probably by John Warner. | |
| 1872 | Clock bell cast by John Taylor (called "Old Soloman") for an 1872 clock by Moore of Clerkenwell for Calehill in the parish. | ||
| 1932 | Bells tuned and augmented to 6 with the 2nd and tenor recast by Alfred Bowell of Ipswich. The bells were rehung in a new steel frame. | ||
| 1944 | 16th Aug. | The church was destroyed by a doodlebug. The cracked bells were rescued and stored beside a railway line. The tenor was subsequently stolen. | |
| 1945 | The bells were removed from the tower and stored by the railway line from where the 4th was stolen. The belfry stage of the tower was then largely demolished. | ||
| 1955 | The new church and tower were completed. The 5 surviving bells were taken to John Taylor & Co., Loughborough. The new church and tower were completed. | ||
| 1956 | 6 new bells were cast from the metal of the 5 remaining old bells and hung in a new tower in the new church by John Taylor. The clock bell was also brought from Calehill (which was being demolished) and hung. The service bell was also installed, neither by Taylor's. A Service of Consecration of the new church and new bells, conducted by Archbishop Geoffrey Fisher, took place on 29th September. | ||
| 1972 | 29th Nov. | Church declared redundant. | |
| 1973 | 31st May | Declaration of the redundancy scheme. |
| [1] | Item two hande bells. Item iiij bells in the Stepyll. (Edwardian Inventory, 1552) |
Gallery |
The church shortly after bombing. Photo: David Cawley collection |
The interior of the old church showing the ground floor ringing room and the six ropes hanging down. The window at the top has fragments of old glass with a seated Madonna in a golden crown and the Child kneeling. Photo: David Cawley collection |
Old postcard. Photo: David Cawley collection |
Old postcard. Photo: David Cawley collection |
Photo: David Cawley, 2011 |
Photo: David Cawley, 2011 |
Photo: David Cawley, 2011 |
Photo: David Cawley, 2011 |
| Love's Guide to the Church Bells of Kent | Page updated: 1 April 2016 |