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Greenwich, St Alfege
 Photo: Post card
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♫ Sound clip of the ring of bells.(William A Hibbert, 21 Aug 2000) |
Details of the Bells |
| Bell | Weight (most recent) | (Prior to retuning) | Diameter | Note | Date | Founder | Canons | Retuned | ||
| ® | Treble | 5-1-15 | 28" | F♯ | 1954 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Flat | Never | ||
| ® | 2 | 5-2-6 | 29" | E | 1954 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Flat | Never | ||
| ® | 3 | 6-1-5 | 31" | D | 1954 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Flat | Never | ||
| ® | 4 | 6-2-10 | 32" | C♯ | 1954 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Flat | Never | ||
| ® | 5 | 7-1-13 | 34" | B | 1954 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Flat | Never | ||
| ® | 6 | 8-2-14 | 36" | A | 1954 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Flat | Never | ||
| ® | 7 | 10-1-8 | 39" | G | 1954 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Flat | Never | ||
| ® | 8 | 12-0-1 | 41" | F♯ | 1954 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Flat | Never | ||
| ® | 9 | 17-2-4 | 46" | E | 1954 | Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel | Flat | Never | ||
| ® | Tenor | 23-2-14 | 24-0-8 | 52¾" | D | 1824 | Thomas Mears II | Removed | 1954 Mears & Stainbank |
Bellframes |
| Position |
Frame | Bells | Year | Maker | Material | Truss(es) | Local Layout | |||
| Lower tier | 1 | 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 | 1731 | Oak |
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8.3 |
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| Upper tier | 2 | 1,2 | 1734 | Oak |
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Inscriptions |
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How the bells are tuned |
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Original ring of 10 |
| Bell | Weight (most recent) | (As supplied 1890) | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate | |
| Treble (of 10) | 1734 | Richard Phelps | Never | Recast in 1792 | |||
| 2nd (of 10) | 5-3-5 | 1734 | Richard Phelps | Never | Recast in 1954 | ||
| 3rd (of 10) | 1731 | Richard Phelps | Never | Recast in 1815 | |||
| 4th (of 10) | 6-3-11 | 1731 | Richard Phelps | Never | Recast in 1954 | ||
| 5th (of 10) | 7-2-12 | 1731 | Richard Phelps | Never | Recast in 1890. 7-2-14 gross. | ||
| 6th (of 10) | 1731 | Richard Phelps | Never | Recast in 1792 | |||
| 7th (of 10) | 12-0-0 | 1731 | Richard Phelps | Never | Recast in 1954 | ||
| 8th (of 10) | 13-2-26 | 1731 | Richard Phelps | Never | Recast in 1954 | ||
| 9th (of 10) | 1731 | Richard Phelps | Never | Recast in 1814 | |||
| Tenor (of 10) | 1731 | Richard Phelps | Never | Recast in 1824 |
Those recast prior to 1954 |
| Bell | Weight (most recent) | Date | Founder | Retuned | Fate | |
| Treble (of 10) | 5-1-11 | 1792 | Thomas Mears I | Never | Recast in 1954 | |
| 3rd (of 10) | 5-3-6 | 1815 | Thomas Mears I | Never | Recast in 1954 | |
| 5th (of 10) | 6-3-25 | 1890 | Mears & Stainbank | Never | Recast in 1954 | |
| 6th (of 10) | 9-3-25 | 1792 | Thomas Mears I | Never | Recast in 1954 | |
| 9th (of 10) | 17-3-20 | 1814 | Thomas Mears I | Never | Recast in 1954 | |
| Clock | 6-0-20 | Unknown |
History |
| 1552 | Record of 4 bells. [1] | ||
| 1711 | -1714 | Present church built by Hawksmoor. | |
| 1730 | Old tower encased and spire added by John James. | ||
| 1731 | Ring of 8 bells cast by Richard Phelps and hung in a new timber frame. | ||
| 1734 | 2 trebles were added to make 10 by Richard Phelps. | ||
| 1792 | Treble and 6th recast by Thomas Mears. | ||
| 1814 | 9th recast and clock bell cast by Thomas Mears. | ||
| 1815 | 3rd recast by Thomas Mears. | ||
| 1824 | Tenor recast by Thomas Mears. | ||
| 1890 | The 5th was recast at Whitechapel. [2] | ||
| 1894 | Trebles overhauled. | ||
| 1954 | Front 9 recast by Mears & Stainbank and rehung in the old strengthened frame. | ||
| 2000 | All bearing and pulley boxes were replaced (apart from one that could not be shifted) and 2 braces were fixed to the upper frame to cut down movement. The work was done by the KCACR. |
| [1] | Item .... a smale latten bell. Item iiij bells, the greatest mesured from brymme to brym iij fote vij inches di. Item the iid. iij foot iij inches the iijrd iij foote j inche the iiij'^ ij foot xj inches. Item j saunts bell of brass . . . And ij hand bells of brasse. (Edwardian Inventory, 1552) |
| [2] | New bell 7-0-13, old bell 7-3-14 gross (7-2-12 nett), new fittings for the bell, and repairs to the others, £172.4.6. (Whitechapel Day Book, 6 Aug 1890) |
The ringing room |
Tom Hinks enjoying the open space in the Greenwich ringing room. Photo: Dickon Love, 10 Jan 2015 |
Another view of the room. Photo: Dickon Love, 10 Jan 2015 |
Elsewhere in the Parish |
| Greenwich, District Hospital (formerly Union Workhouse) Single bell - existance or fate unknown | |
 | Greenwich, Meridian Primary School Single bell hung for swing chiming |
| Greenwich, Queen Elizabeth College Almshouses Single clock bell | |
| Greenwich, Royal Naval College Clock chime of hour bell and 4 quarters |
| Love's Guide to the Church Bells of Kent | Page updated: 26 August 2020 |
