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Sittingbourne, St Mary
 Photo: Tom Ashley (Archbishop's Council), May 2016
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Details of the Bells |
| Bell | Weight (most recent) | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Canons | Retuned | ||
| ҂ | Single bell | Very small | Unknown | Never |
Between c.1980 and 2003 |
| Bell | Weight (most recent) | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate | |
| Single bell | 4-2-7 | 28½" | D | 1907 | Gillett & Johnston | Never | Formerly St James Croydon; now 4/6 Orange NSW |
History |
| 1902 | The new church was consecrated by the Bishop of Dover, the Rt Revd W Walsh). It was provided with a small bell hung on a bracket on the outside west wall, probably dated 1901. The diocesan architect was R Philip Day. The church was initially a chapel of ease to Holy Trinity, Milton Regis. [1] | ||
| 1925 | The new parish of St Mary's was taken out of the parish of Milton Regis in 1925 when the Rev H J King was appointed as the first vicar. | ||
| 1980 | St James' church on St James Road, Croydon Common, was closed. It used to have a Gillett & Johnston bell dated 1907. This bell was acquired by St Mary's Sittingbourne - possibly at this time - and was hung in a wooden cage on the top of the church hall. [2] | ||
| 2003 | The church approached the Keltek Trust to dispose of the Gillett & Johnston bell, being described as "unused". It was removed by Matthew Higby & stored at Whitechapel. It was earmarked to be the 4th of a proposed ring of 6 at Holy Trinity, Orange NSW. Shortly after the church started a project to replace the bell that was left with a new bell for which purpose a second hand bell was acquired from a turret near Deal (further details not known). The whereabouts of this bell is now unknown. [3] |
| [1] | Newspaper article covering the 50th anniversary of the consecration describes the church and its opening. ( East Kent Gazette - Friday 18 January 1952) |
| [2] | I remember [the Gillett & Johnston bell] being rung but it was only used a few times as it was set up very badly. The clapper would hit the bell and stay there making a loud clonk sound and not allowing the bell to ring! (Memories from Chris Trafford , 2021) |
| [3] | St Mary's also started a project to replace the original bell with a different one. It arrived and was stored in the vestry and I managed to talk someone into letting me have a look! (This must be over 20 years ago now!) It was a small bell believed to have come from a turret down near Deal. It sat in the vestry for several months and then the project was abandoned and the bell from Deal disappeared. I've no idea where it went. (Memories from Chris Trafford, 2021) |
Pictures of the bell |
The bell on the west wall. Photo: Chris Trafford, 2021 |
The bell on the west wall. Photo: Chris Trafford, 2021 |
The bell on the west wall. Photo: Chris Trafford, 2021 |
The bell on the west wall. Photo: Chris Trafford, 2021 |
The bell on the west wall. Photo: Chris Trafford, 2021 |
The old bell |
The Gillett & Johnston bell, refurbished after leaving Sittingbourne, destined for Orange, NSW. Photo: Matthew Higby |
Elsewhere in the Parish |
| Sittingbourne, Borden Grammar School Single bell |
| Love's Guide to the Church Bells of Kent | Page updated: 5 September 2021 |