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Lee, St Margaret
 Photo: David Cawley
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Details of the Bells |
| Bell | Weight (most recent) | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | ||
| ꓕ | 1 | 0-2-21 | 14" | G | 1963 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ꓕ | Sharp 2 | 0-2-22 | 14½" | F♯ | 1963 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ꓕ | 2 | 0-2-21 | 15" | F | 1963 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ꓕ | 3 | 0-3-25 | 15½" | E | 1963 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ꓕ | 4 | 1-1-5 | 17" | D | 1963 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ꓕ | Sharp 5 | 1-2-11 | 18" | C♯ | 1963 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ꓕ | 5 | 1-2-24 | 19" | C | 1963 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ꓕ | 6 | 1-3-17 | 20" | B | 1963 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ꓕ | Sharp 7 | 2-0-17 | 21" | A♯ | 1963 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ꓕ | 7 | 2-1-26 | 22" | A | 1963 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ꓕ | 8 | 3-0-9 | 24" | G | 1963 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ꓕ | Sharp 9 | 3-2-6 | 25" | F♯ | 1963 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ꓕ | 9 | 3-3-3 | 26" | F | 1963 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ꓕ | 10 | 3-3-17 | 27" | E | 1963 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ꓕ | 11 | 4-3-10 | 29" | D | 1963 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never | |
| ꓕ | 12 | 6-0-10 | 32" | C | 1963 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Never |
Inscriptions |
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Prior to 1963 |
| Bell | Weight (most recent)* | Weight (As supplied in 1840, 1886 or 1874) | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate | |
| Treble | 4-1-27 | 4-1-27 | 26" | F | 1886 | Mears & Stainbank | Never | Metal reused 1963 | |
| 2nd | 4-2-21 | 4-2-21 | 28" | E | 1874 | Mears & Stainbank | Never | Metal reused 1963 | |
| 3rd | 5-0-17 | 5-0-17 | 29½" | D | 1874 | Mears & Stainbank | Never | Metal reused 1963 | |
| 4th | 6-0-16 | 6-0-16 | 31½" | C | 1874 | Mears & Stainbank | Never | Metal reused 1963 | |
| 5th | 6-1-19 | 6-1-19 | 33" | B♭ | 1840 | Thomas Mears II | Never | Metal reused 1963 | |
| 6th | 7-0-13 | 7-0-13 | 34" | A | 1840 | Thomas Mears II | Never | Metal reused 1963 | |
| 7th | 10-0-5 | 10-0-5 | 39" | G | 1840 | Thomas Mears II | Never | Metal reused 1963 | |
| Tenor | 14-1-13 | 14-1-13 | 43" | F | 1886 | Mears & Stainbank | Never | Metal reused 1963 |
History |
| 1552 | Record of 3 bells that used to hang in the old church across the road from the present one. | ||
| 1813 | -14 | Church rebuilt by Joseph Gwilt. | |
| 1839 | -41 | Church rebuilt by John Brown of Norwich, architect. | |
| 1840 | Dec | 3 new bells were supplied by Mears & Stainbank with clappers, fittings and frame at the new church. | |
| 1841 | April | The 3 old church bells were taken by Mears & Stainbank in part exchange for the work they had done the previous year. Weights of two of them were listed as 5-2-12 and 6-2-4. | |
| 1874 | 3 more treble bells were added by Mears & Stainbank to create a minor 6. | ||
| 1875 | Church remodelled by James Brooks, architect. | ||
| 1886 | 19th Feb | Whitechapel Daybook records new treble and tenor supplied with two clappers and 2 pairs of gudgeons and shields, £110.15.6. The bells hung in a FIVE tier frame! | |
| 1895 | -6 | The 8 bells were rehung. | |
| 1956 | 10th Mar | The bells became very awkward to ring and were undermining the fabric of the church. They were last rung (it is believed) on this date. | |
| 1963 | The bells were recast into a chime of 16 in memory of Mildred Hunter who died at Lee in 1962. The bells were hung from the old frame. A clavier room was set up in the old ringing room where old peal boards are still preserved. [3] | ||
| 1967 | William Hughes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry wrote to David Cawley giving his recollections of the work at Lee. [1] | ||
| 1989 | On 7 Apr, the Ringing World published a letter from Ernie Rowe, recalling the final ringing on the 8 bells. [2] |
| [1] | They were a ring of three with a tenor of C10, cast at this foundry in 1840. In 1874 we provided a double 2-tier frame for 8 and added three smaller ones to make six, and then finally in 1886 we made a new treble and tenor to make the peal of eight. The whole installation was a stupid one I fear as the peal was much too heavy for the tower and caused considerable damage. In 1963 we broke them up and cast a most musical chime of 16 bells, a diatonic twelve in C with four semi-tones. (Hughes, W A (Letter to David Cawley, 13 Jun 1967)) |
| [2] | The last time these were rung as an eight was, according to my tower book, on 10th March 1956 at a London County meeting when, during the first touch, GrandsireTriples, the 2nd wheel collapsed and the remains collapsed onto the back six. Whether they were rung again I doubt, but there was a sequel when, years later, I was given the task of removing these bells. They were a front six in three tiers with the 7th above the 8th swinging the other way (similar to those at Camberwell). A ringer whose name I now forget but who was, so he claimed, a person of some means, told me he had offered to defray the cost of recasting the ring into a lighter one. This however, was turned down by the Vicar, who wanted nothing to do with practices, peals and the inevitable complaints. Later I installed a chime of 16, as all are now aware. (Rowe, E (The Ringing World, 7 Apr 1989)) |
| [3] | Faculty application: Lee, Saint Margaret: installing 16-chime electrically controlled bells (London Metropolitan Archives, 1963 DS/F/1963/091B]) |
The layout of the 5 tier frame |
North, Central & South Elevations: Central (main) frame 1874 for 6 bells; Side frames 1886 to accommodate 2 extra bells. Adapted 1963 to hold 16 chiming bells. Photo: Sketch taken from a visit made by David Cawley in April, 2001. |
East Elevation of bell frame as existing Main braces removed East Side only. Steel centre-posts inserted 1963 Transmission frame and bars fitted outside for 16 bell chime. West elevation mirrors original elevation of central 6-bell frame. Photo: Sketch taken from a visit made by David Cawley in April, 2001. |
Sketch plan of bells in frame. North is to the left. Top tier (originally holding 3 & 4 of 6) Centre tier (originally holding 2 & 5 of 6) (added on augmentation beneath; 6th bell moved) Base tier (originally holding 1 & 6 of 6) (added on augmentation Photo: Sketch taken from a visit made by David Cawley in April, 2001. |
The belfry |
A better view of the old 5-tier timber frame. Photo: David Cawley, 2001 |
The transmission frame and rods and some of the chiming bells, hung in the old bell frame. Photo: David Cawley, 2001 |
Some of the chiming bells. Photo: David Cawley, 2001 |
The ringing room |
Peal boards and details of the former ring of bells (commissioned as a condition of the faculty to recast the bells). Photo: David Cawley, 2001 |
The clavier at work in the old ringing room of the tower. John Knox, Secretary of the British Carillion Society is at the clavier, watched by Clive Smith, Captain of Lichfield Cathedral and co-carilloneur at Saltley (who was in the band which last rang th Photo: David Cawley, 2001 |
Other photos of the church |
An image of the old church in 1795. Photo: David Cawley collection |
| Love's Guide to the Church Bells of Kent | Page updated: 28 March 2020 |