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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I feared that this would take some time, a=
nd it=20
has! But the results are quite interesting. Basically, the situ=
ation=20
seems to be as below - and I conclude that this bell was actually a reject =
or=20
"scrapper" rather than one of the original set. But it's by no means=
=20
certain, so I'll be happy to receive comments and corrections.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN lang=3DEN-GB>Fores=
t Hill =96=20
although known as Christ Church, Sydenham, at one stage =96 is a red herrin=
g.=20
There was a separate church at Sydenham with this dedication.</SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN=20
lang=3DEN-GB> <?xml:namespace prefix =3D o ns =3D=20
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN lang=3DEN-GB>The 1=
844 =93Royal=20
Exchange=94 bell now at All Saints seems to be the bell of 3-3-20 invoiced =
by=20
</SPAN><SPAN lang=3DEN-GB=20
style=3D"LETTER-SPACING: -0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">C. & G. M=
ears on=20
21 December 1844 to =93The New Church, Sydenham=94.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I cannot identify the church with=
=20
certainty, but by 1887 this bell was at what was by then known as Christ Ch=
urch,=20
Sydenham =96 a building with a complicated history which began as a Nonconf=
ormist=20
chapel and became an Anglican chapel of ease to St Michael=92s, Sydenham, a=
fter=20
1873. It must have been transferred from Christ Church to the new All Saint=
s=20
(1901-3) early in the C20th. The bell described in Stahlschmidt at Christ C=
hurch=20
is, however, clearly the one noted by GPE at All Saints in 1974 and no=
w=20
under discussion.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN lang=3DEN-GB=20
style=3D"LETTER-SPACING: -0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"> <o:p></=
o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN lang=3DEN-GB=20
style=3D"LETTER-SPACING: -0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">However, the =
bell is=20
dated 1844 and the Whitechapel daybooks seem to indicate that it was suppli=
ed to=20
a church in Sydenham in December of that year.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The first Royal Exchange bells we=
re=20
supplied in August 1844 and inaugurated in November.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They remained in the tower until =
the=20
middle of 1845, when they were all returned to the foundry. The new and lar=
ger=20
replacement set was invoiced and opened in October 1845. We do know that so=
me of=20
the original bells were exchanged in the meantime =96 a letter of 4 Decembe=
r 1844=20
refers to Mears=92s men =93coming tomorrow to fetch away another bell=94 =
=96 as there=20
was a protracted dispute about the correctness of the tuning. <SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This, of course, eventually led to=
the=20
full replacement of the bells in 1845.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN lang=3DEN-GB=20
style=3D"LETTER-SPACING: -0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"> <o:p></=
o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN lang=3DEN-GB=20
style=3D"LETTER-SPACING: -0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">The present w=
eight=20
of the Sydenham bell (3-3-13) is much closer to the weight of the Sydenham =
=93New=20
Church=94 bell of December 1844 (3-3-20) than it is to the smallest of the =
1844=20
Royal Exchange chime (4-0-26) as invoiced out in August 1844.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I therefore conclude that this wa=
s a=20
reject<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>=96 or one of the bel=
ls=20
exchanged between August and December 1844 =96 rather than one of the origi=
nal=20
set. I don=92t know, but my impression is that the =93fuss=94 was about the=
clock=20
bells rather than those only needed for the chime, and I guess that the 4-0=
-26=20
=93treble=94 was not one of those that were exchanged.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>So, I think this was probably a=20
=93scrapper=94 =96 rejected and put on one side before the first complete s=
et left the=20
foundry.</SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN lang=3DEN-GB=20
style=3D"LETTER-SPACING: -0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"></SPAN> =
</P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN lang=3DEN-GB=20
style=3D"LETTER-SPACING: -0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><FONT=20
face=3DArial><FONT size=3D2>CJP</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P></DIV></BODY></HTML=
>