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Sidcup
 

Sidcup, St John the Evangelist


  • 6 bells hung for full circle ringing
  • Tenor: 8-3-24 in A.
  • Grid Ref: TQ465715
  • Rung from: Upstairs Ringing Room
  • Frame: 1901 John Warner & Sons
  • Denomination: Church of England
    Diocese (Anglican): Rochester
  • Kent County Association of Change Ringers District: Lewisham
  • Building Listed Grade: II Click for Heritage details.
  • Peals rung at the tower

Details of the Bells

Bell Weight
(most recent)

(As supplied 1843)

(As received 1950)
Diameter Note Date Founder Canons Retuned
® Treble 3-3-154-1-94-0-225" F♯ 1843 Thomas Mears II Removed 1950 Mears & Stainbank
® 2 4-3-35-0-54-3-2128½" E 1843 Thomas Mears II Removed 1950 Mears & Stainbank
® 3 4-3-215-0-105-0-130" D 1843 Thomas Mears II Removed 1950 Mears & Stainbank
® 4 6-2-06-1-255-2-431⅝" C♯ 1843 Thomas Mears II Removed 1950 Mears & Stainbank
® 5 6-3-176-3-1733¾" B 1901 John Warner & Sons Removed 1950 Mears & Stainbank
® Tenor 8-3-249-0-1937½" A 1901 John Warner & Sons Removed 1950 Mears & Stainbank

®  - Hung for full circle ringing

Bellframes

Frame Bells Year Maker Material Truss(es) Local
Layout
1 All bells 1901 John Warner & Sons Cast iron
8.3.A.e
6.1

Inscriptions

Prior to 1901 (supplied weights)

Bell Weight
(most recent)
DateFounderRetunedFate
56-3-11843Thomas Mears IINeverRecast 1901
Tenor9-0-191843Thomas Mears IINeverRecast 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


The Sanctus bell hanging as it did in Queen Mary hospital chapel before transfer to the church.
Photo: Peter Dale

St John's Church from the Green, c.1890s. The first church was established here in 1844 as a district church for St Nicholas Chislehurst, in which parish large parts of the developing Sidcup lay. This church included distinctive twin towers, a scheme no
Photo:

Belfry photographs



Photo: Alex Runting and Alex Fishburn, Oct 2017


Photo: Alex Runting and Alex Fishburn, Oct 2017


Photo: Alex Runting and Alex Fishburn, Oct 2017


Photo: Alex Runting and Alex Fishburn, Oct 2017


Photo: Alex Runting and Alex Fishburn, Oct 2017


Photo: Alex Runting and Alex Fishburn, Oct 2017


Photo: Alex Runting and Alex Fishburn, Oct 2017


Photo: Alex Runting and Alex Fishburn, Oct 2017


Photo: Alex Runting and Alex Fishburn, Oct 2017


Photo: Alex Runting and Alex Fishburn, Oct 2017


Photo: Alex Runting and Alex Fishburn, Oct 2017

Peal Boards

Ceramic Performance Board dated approx. 1906
12 Feb 1904: 5040 Minor (4m)
28 Nov 1906: 5040 Minor (7m) (1st peal on the bells.)

Photo: Jeremy Clitheroe, 13 October 2021

Framed card Performance Board dated approx. 1976
03 Jul 1976: 5040 Minor (3m) (To welcome Rev Gerald Cunliffe as curate.)

Photo: Jeremy Clitheroe, 13 October 2021



Love's Guide to the Church Bells of Kent Page updated: 1 April 2016