Sidcup, St John the Evangelist
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Details of the Bells |
Bell | Weight (most recent) | (As supplied 1843) | (As received 1950) | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Canons | Retuned | ||
® | Treble | 3-3-15 | 4-1-9 | 4-0-2 | 25" | F♯ | 1843 | Thomas Mears II | Removed | 1950 Mears & Stainbank | |
® | 2 | 4-3-3 | 5-0-5 | 4-3-21 | 28½" | E | 1843 | Thomas Mears II | Removed | 1950 Mears & Stainbank | |
® | 3 | 4-3-21 | 5-0-10 | 5-0-1 | 30" | D | 1843 | Thomas Mears II | Removed | 1950 Mears & Stainbank | |
® | 4 | 6-2-0 | 6-1-25 | 5-2-4 | 31⅝" | C♯ | 1843 | Thomas Mears II | Removed | 1950 Mears & Stainbank | |
® | 5 | 6-3-17 | 6-3-17 | 33¾" | B | 1901 | John Warner & Sons | Removed | 1950 Mears & Stainbank | ||
® | Tenor | 8-3-24 | 9-0-19 | 37½" | A | 1901 | John Warner & Sons | Removed | 1950 Mears & Stainbank |
Bellframes |
Frame | Bells | Year | Maker | Material | Truss(es) | Local Layout | |||
1 | All bells | 1901 | John Warner & Sons | Cast iron |
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6.1 |
Inscriptions |
Prior to 1901 (supplied weights) |
Bell | Weight (most recent) | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate | |
5 | 6-3-1 | 1843 | Thomas Mears II | Never | Recast 1901 | |
Tenor | 9-0-19 | 1843 | Thomas Mears II | Never | Recast 1901 |
History |
1841 | 1st church built. It had twin towers. | ||
1843 | 12th Oct. | 4 bells were cast at Whitechapel, invoiced on this day. These formed the back 4 of a future ring of 6. The 2 trebles were cast a 3 months later. Parish created from St Nicholas, Chislehurst. | |
1844 | 13th Jan. | The 2 treble bells were invoiced at Whitechapel. | |
1887 | In his book "Church Bells of Kent", Stahlschmidt recorded 6 bells: 1 and 2 by C & G Mears dated 1844 with the remainder by Thomas Mears 1839. This is surely an error! | ||
1898 | Everything except the sanctuary was demolished. | ||
1899 | -1901 | Present church built by 1899-1901 by Fellowes Prynne - it used to have two towers although one was demolished to extend the church. | |
1901 | The back 2 bells were recast by John Warner, and all the bells were rehung in a new frame. The new nave in the church was dedicated on 13th July. | ||
1950 | Bells retuned and rehung by Whitechapel. | ||
c | 1973 | In the early 1970s, an appeal was launched to rehang the bells and augment them to 8. This plan was never fully realised. | |
1974 | Bells rehung with new fittings in the existing frame by John Taylor & Co. Queen Mary's Hospital chapel in Sidcup closed. Peter Dale, Tower Captain of the time writes: "The late Revd Stanley Allen was vicar at the time and he went to the site to negotiate the bell's rescue. The contractor refused to let him have it as he'd allowed for the scrap value in his budget. In the event he kept it for himself and installed it in the turret over his stables, but no sooner had he done so than the building was struck by lightening. That rather gave him the jitters so he pleaded with Stanley to take the bell away." The bell was hung in a new timber frame constructed and donated by local ringer and builder, Bill Belsham. |
Old photographs |
Belfry photographs |
Peal Boards |
Photo: Jeremy Clitheroe, 13 October 2021 |
Photo: Jeremy Clitheroe, 13 October 2021 |
Love's Guide to the Church Bells of Kent | Page updated: 1 April 2016 |