[Bell Historians] Re: Hampstead (St Stephen)

[David Cawley]

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I think I may have been one of the last to have seen these bells before the=
y were removed. I inspected for the CCC in the spring of 1982. Even then,=
the church (which was closed in 1977) had been seriously vandalized. At t=
he time, the tower had not been invaded by vandals, although the peal board=
s had been removed and only one bell still had a rope. In the vast ringing =
room, the huge Gillett clock stood in working order although not going, and=
the coeval carillon machine beside it in a very rusty condition. Both of=
these went to Loughborough with the bells, and both were I understand even=
tually scrapped.

Immediately above, the bell chamber was open to the slated pyramid spire; t=
he pigeons were not then in residence and the floor still intact. The fram=
e was massive; I understand it is still there. When the bells were removed=
by Taylor's, certain framesides and associated heads were cut away. All t=
he bells hung on one level with traditional Taylor fittings of 1872 excepti=
ng that the gudgeons and bearings had been replaced by G&J.

The removal of the bells was advised by the CCC in good faith, the Priest-i=
n-Charge worrying about their safety in case of further vandalism. Once th=
ey were out, a number of possible homes were suggested; Taylor's opinion be=
ing that the back eight would tune into a fine ring - the two trebles would=
have to be recast. In the end it all came to nothing - the said P-in-C ke=
pt moving the goalposts when it came to the matter of how much he would sel=
l for. In the end he decided to keep them himself, that is to keep 1 & 3 a=
s 5 & 6 of an electrically operated chime, have four trebles cast as stated=
, to be hung in two towerlets at All Hallows. The balance of the metal to =
pay - whether he made a profit I don't know, but he certainly became an Arc=
hdeacon!=20=20=20

Sadly there was no Keltek Trust, and I think that the CCCBR Redundant Bells=
Committee found themselves faced with an impossible situation.=20

Incidentally, the two trebles were not a part of the original installation,=
Teulon having misgivings about the tower. Apparently the parishioners wer=
e so delighted with their eight new bells, they got the architect to relent=
and to order the trebles for which the frame was prepared.

As stated, the church was considered to be his masterpiece by S. S. Teulon,=
who called it "My mighty church". Its structural future seems now to have=
been assured. The present parish church, All Hallows, is likewise a might=
y church, this time the masterpiece of James Brooks.

One thing I did find in the ringing room was a pile of RW's from 1958 (the =
year I started ringing) to 1962 (the year I started taking the comic). I s=
till have them.

DLC

----- Original Message -----=20
From: LOVE, Dickon=20
To: 'bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com'=20
Sent: Friday, January 31, 2003 10:21 AM
Subject: RE: [Bell Historians] Re: Hampstead (St Stephen)


"They were a Taylor ten of 1872, tenor 27-0-12 in C#. They were removed i=
n
about 1982. The church, the masterpiece of S.S. Teulon, was for long
vitrually derelict but I believe has not been acquired by a trust dedicat=
ed
to its preservation. I think I read rairly recently somewhere that they h=
ad
found a use for it once it was repaired.

In 1993 the treble and 3rd were tuned to form the back two of a light 6-b=
ell
chime at All Hallows, Hampstead. The remaining eight bells were scrapped,
although some of the metal was used in casting the remaining four bells f=
or
the chime. I have (from Chris Pickford) the weighs of both the old ten an=
d
the light 6-bell chime if anyone is interested.

Does anyone (Dickon?) have details of what remains in the tower - frame?"

I understand that the frame is still in the tower, although I have no mor=
e
details than that about it. The belfry floor has mainly collapsed, althou=
gh
the ringing room ceiling I gather is intact. There is an awful lot of
pidgeon stuff up there!

I gather that when Taylors took the bells out, they were reported to have
basically hacked the place about. The bells were not exactly taken out
carefully and the wheels were smashed up. In fact, they had difficulty
getting the tenor out and phoned Whitechapel for help! Someone from
Whitechapel went to help them!

The future of the building is now somewhat more secure as a Nursery Schoo=
l
and Cultural Centre. =A32m is being spent on the place, =A31m of which ha=
s/is
being spent this year. They are keen to get the clock going again and
possibly to put a bell into the tower as a clock bell. The possibility of=
a
ring of bells being restored there in the future has not been ruled out
either.

DrL


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