Eltham, St John the Baptist
Photo: Dickon Love, May 2004 |
|
Details of the Bells |
Bell | Weight (most recent) | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Canons | Retuned | ||
® | Treble | 3-2-21 | 24½" | G | 1924 | Gillett & Johnston, Croydon (982) | Never | ||
® | 2 | 3-3-17 | 25⁷⁄₁₆" | F♯ | 1924 | Gillett & Johnston, Croydon (969) | Never | ||
® | 3 | 4-1-9 | 27" | E | 1924 | Gillett & Johnston, Croydon (970) | Never | ||
® | 4 | 4-3-7 | 28¾" | D | 1924 | Gillett & Johnston, Croydon (971) | Never | ||
® | 5 | 5-1-14 | 30⁵⁄₁₆" | C | 1924 | Gillett & Johnston, Croydon (972) | Never | ||
® | 6 | 6-0-10 | 31¹³⁄₁₆" | B | 1924 | Gillett & Johnston, Croydon (973) | Never | ||
® | 7 | 7-3-14 | 35" | A | 1924 | Gillett & Johnston, Croydon (974) | Never | ||
® | Tenor | 10-2-24 | 39" | G | 1924 | Gillett & Johnston, Croydon (975) | Flat | Never |
Bellframes |
Frame | Bells | Year | Maker | Material | Truss(es) | Local Layout | |||
1 | All bells | 1924 | Gillett & Johnston, Croydon | Metal |
Inscriptions |
How the bells are tuned |
1794 Ring of Six |
Bell | Diameter | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate | |
Treble | 26⅞" | 1794 | Thomas Mears I | Never | Recast in 1924 | |
2nd | 28⅝" | 1794 | Thomas Mears I | Never | Recast in 1924 | |
3rd | 30⅛" | 1794 | Thomas Mears I | Never | Recast in 1924 | |
4th | 32¼" | 1794 | Thomas Mears I | Never | Recast in 1924 | |
5th | 34¼" | 1794 | Thomas Mears I | Never | Recast in 1924 | |
Tenor | 37¼" | 1794 | Thomas Mears I | Never | Recast in 1924 |
Prior to 1794 |
Bell | Weight (most recent) | Date | Founder | Fate | |
Treble (of 3) | Unknown | Recast in 1794 | |||
2nd (of 3) | 8-3-6 | Unknown | Recast in 1794 | ||
Tenor (of 3) | 9-3-20 | 1618 | Unknown | Recast in 1794 |
Earlier bell |
Bell | Weight (most recent) | Date | Founder | Fate | |
Tenor | 12½ cwt approx. | 1610 | Unknown | Recast in 1618 |
History |
1552 | Record of 3 bells. [1] | ||
1554 | A bell was recast with an additional 1½ cwt of metal. Tenor rehung. | ||
1556 | -7 | Tenor rehung by Mills, a carpenter from Bexley. | |
1571 | 2 more bells recast. | ||
1583 | A bell was recast (probably the treble). | ||
1610 | Old 9½ cwt tenor recast with an additional 3-0-7 of metal. | ||
1618 | Record of tenor weighing 9-3-20 and middle bell 8-3-6. Tenor was recast. | ||
1794 | 6 bells cast by Thomas Mears. | ||
1872 | Tower rebuilt by A. W. Blomfield. | ||
1898 | Bells rehung by Samuel Goslin. (CJP from DLC says 1896) | ||
1924 | Bells recast into new ring of 8 by Gillett & Johnston in a new frame. Formerly rung from the ground floor, now rung from an upstairs ringing room. |
[1] | Item iij great bells in the steple and a saunt's bell of brasse. (Edwardian Inventory, 1552) |
Gallery |
The tenor bell. Photo: Dickon Love, 15 May 2004 |
Elsewhere in the Parish |
Eltham, Cemetery Single bell | |
Eltham, Eltham Palace Single bell hung dead |
Love's Guide to the Church Bells of Kent | Page updated: 1 April 2016 |