[Bell Historians] Royal Exchange, London

[LOVE, Dickon]

GD wrote:

"Readers may be interested to note that one of the C & G Mears 1844 bells
survives.

Hayward Mills Associates have a bell from Sydenham All Saints in for
rehanging. It was dreadfully corroded, so was shotblasted to clean it.
The inscription reads:
I/b. C & G MEARS FOUNDERS LONDON.
But more importantly on the waist was the remains of a removed inscription
reading:

ROYAL EXCHANGE 1844

The diameter is 24.25" and its weight is an amazing 3.3.13, very thick &
flared soundbow.
Frequencies: 1822, 1664, 1079, 764 & 493 Hz.

The bell was originally at Ch Church Sydenham apparently, but as my 1956
Crockford gives neither I can not ascertain the date of buildings, so it is
not clear whether the bell came via Whitechapel (as a reject from the
original castings) or Taylors ( when they recast the Mears bells). Can
anyone enlighten us?"

How very interesting. Stahlschmidt in "Church Bells of Kent" (1887) records
this bell at Ch Ch Sydenham saying that it "has an obliterated inscription
on the waist - probably a second hand bell". At 3-3-13, it is lighter than
any of the recorded weights of the 1844 chime at the Royal Exchange (the
treble was given as 4-0-26 in the Whitechapel Day Books). Chris Pickford
notes that the entry is marked "returned". However I also have a note to say
that G&J retuned this bell in 1921.

DrL