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Canterbury, St Mary Northgate
 Photo:
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Prior to 1922. |
| Bell | Weight (most recent) |
Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate |
| Treble | 4¼ cwt approx. | 26" | 1623 | Joseph Hatch | Never | Went to Namibia. | |
| 2nd | 4¾ cwt approx. | 28½" | 1616 | Joseph Hatch | Never | Went to Namibia. | |
| 3rd | 5½ cwt appprox. | 31" | 1623 | Joseph Hatch | Never | Went to Namibia. | |
| Tenor | 7½ cwt approx. | 34.5" | 1813 | Thomas Mears II | Never | Went to Namibia. |
Prior to 1813 |
| Bell | Weight (most recent) |
Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate |
| Tenor | 7½ cwt approx. | 1623 | Joseph Hatch | Never | Recast 1813 |
History |
| 1552 | Record of 3 bells in the tower. | ||
| 1616 | One bell recast by Joseph Hatch. | ||
| 1623 | The remaining bells were recast by Joseph Hatch who also added a 4th bell. | ||
| 1792 | Bells described as being in poor condition with only the tenor hung and the second reported broken (the latter almost certainly inaccurate as Stahlschmidt testifies otherwise in 1887). | ||
| 1813 | Tenor recast by Thomas Mears. | ||
| 1832 | The church originally stood over the Northgate. In this year, the gate was demolished excepting for the tower and north wall and rebuilt in a "Meagre, wharehouse style". | ||
| 1922 | Church closed. The bells were advertised in the Daily Mirror and sold to the new Diocesan Cathedral of Damaraland, Namibia. The tenor went to the cathedral, Windhoek, the 2nd to St Paul the Traveller, Usakos & a 1623 bell to St Matthew, Walvis Bay. | ||
| 1959 | Church restored as the St Gregory's church hall. The former ringing room (which has ropes holes) acted as the Chapel of St Mary in the Tower where Communion was celebrated weekly. At this time, most of the old frame was still in situ. | ||
| 1969 | The location of 3 bells was established as: tenor: the cathedral, Windhoek, 2nd: St Paul the Traveller, Usakos, a 1623 bell: St Matthew, Walvis Bay. The location of the other 1623 bell is unknown. Each hangs in an old iron structure outside the church. | ||
| 1970 | 1st Dec | Church declared redundant. | |
| 1971 | 25th Jun | Declaration of redundancy scheme. | |
| 1985 | Church sold to the King's School as a music centre where an observatory in the top of the tower and the louvres were glazed & bricked. |
Gallery |
These plans were noted by Rev'd Daviid Cawley in February, 1969. They show the plan of the frame, part of which had been dismantled as indicated. It also shows up a curious rope circle that could either be described as irregular or anticlockwise. Photo: David Cawley, Feb 1969 |
The former tower shaded here was a bastion of the city wall. David notes that access to the tower was through the hall (formerly the church) to a ladder leading through the tower at ringing room level. Photo: David Cawley, Feb 1969 |
This photo was taken in 1969 and is looking into the tenor pit where the runner board can be seen to be still in situ. Photo: David Cawley, Feb 1969 |
| Love's Guide to the Church Bells of Kent | Page updated: 22 May 2016 |