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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I well remember the shock we all got when =
St Mary's=20
was closed. As DrL says, there are certain safeguards in place regarding St=
=20
Mary's bells and the virturally detached Victoria Tower. I am not quite sur=
e=20
though how legally binding those safeguards are!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Having closed St Mary's, they then closed =
St=20
Paul's, a rather frightening neo-Norman structure beside the od A2. Can't=20
remember where the bell went, and I have no file on it. They then turned th=
eir=20
attention to Christ Church in the Luton district of Chatham,=20
a typically grand Victorian pile with a tower of 1926, all of which wa=
s=20
supposed to be collapsing. I visited at the request of the Diocese in =
the=20
early 1980's and found the latest and most mechanically complex Harrington=
=20
tubular chime I had ever encountered as well as a small T Mears bell of=20
execrable tone from the previous church. The congregation were worshipping =
in=20
the hideous brick gothic conventicle on the other side of the road and the =
plan=20
was to build a united church on the Christ Church site. Maybe it was=20
done.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Then there is (or was) All Saints, with fi=
ve=20
dismantled tubes in a frame for eight and a small brassfoundry bell of stil=
l=20
more execrable tone than the Christ Church one! The tower was of 1937, I th=
ink=20
the tubes must have been earlier, though I am not quite sure when Harringto=
n's=20
finally packed up. If list members have got this far, does anyone know=
a=20
say post 1925 English tubular installation? </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>St John's - a gloomy classical edifice by =
Smirke in=20
Railway Street, near the Station does have a tower which would take a light=
ish=20
ring. It was to be the Parish Church (indeed it became such) with all sorts=
of=20
facilities which could be put in a building like this. In my report to the =
CCC I=20
suggested that in the event of redundancy and demolition or the church bein=
g put=20
to a use for which bells were not appropriate, the KCACR was the appropriat=
e=20
body to handle the case satisfactorily.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I suppose that the answer to David's quest=
ion is=20
simply that St Mary's was vandalised (involving the destruction of the=20
magnificent organ); subsequently it was stripped out to become the Medway=20
Heritage Centre (a role it very satisfactorily fulfilled for a long time) a=
nd is=20
now empty. There is a lot of new housing etc nearby (which doesn't necessar=
ily=20
guarantee congregations) - but it is a grand church on an historic site, an=
d one=20
is left feeling that its initial closure was premature and ill-advised, and=
=20
subsequent activity has left the situation irreversible.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>DLC</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
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<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV=20
style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>Fro=
m:</B>=20
<A href=3D"mailto:david@b..."=20
title=3Ddavid@b...>David Bryant</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A=20
href=3D"mailto:bellhistorians@yahoogroups.com"=20
title=3Dbellhistorians@yahoogroups.com>bellhistorians@yahoogroups.com</A>=
</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, December 09, 2004 =
7:18=20
PM</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Bell Historians] Red=
undant=20
churches for sale</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><TT>> The whole business of making one church at Chatha=
m was=20
a complete balls up<BR>> as it emerged that the wrong church was chose=
n!=20
Now they are both redundant.<BR><BR>As both are empty, why didn't they re=
open=20
the right one when they realised they'd made a balls up? On the other han=
d,=20
given that Chatham is reckoned to be the origin of the Chav movement whic=
h is=20
filling towns and cities across the land with brainless, burberry-hatted,=
=20
tracksuited loudmouths it's not hard to believe that the town has no use =
for a=20
church.<BR><BR>David<BR><BR>-- <BR><BR>Whatever you Wanadoo:<BR><A=20
href=3D"http://www.wanadoo.co.uk/time/">http://www.wanadoo.co.uk/time/</A=
><BR><BR>This=20
email has been checked for most known viruses - find out more at: <A=20
href=3D"http://www.wanadoo.co.uk/help/id/7098.htm">http://www.wanadoo.co.=
uk/help/id/7098.htm</A><BR></TT><BR></BODY></HTML>