Dundee, City of Dundee, Scotland, Old Steeple (S Mary's Tower) (CS)
| Place | Dundee Old Steeple (S Mary's Tower) Shown in county lists as Dundee, Old Steeple |
| Lieutenancy area | City of Dundee |
| Council area | City of Dundee |
| Country | Scotland |
| Historic county | Angus |
| Dove tower ID | 10543 |
| Rings | 8 (full-circle ring), tenor 19–2–10 in ESee below 6 (display bells)See below |
| Frames | 1See below |
| Grid reference | NO401301 |
| Latitude & longitude | 56.45938, -2.97314View on map, or get directions from Google MapsList nearest towers |
| Satnav lat & long | No optimised destination for satellite navigation has been submittedAdd details |
| Postcode | DD1 4DG |
| Church group | Church of Scotland |
| Ownership | Local Authority (church) |
| Listed grade | A by Historic Environment Scotland |
| URL | http://www.dundee.sacr.org/ |
| Affiliation | Scottish Association |
| Performances | Search for performances on BellBoardCustomise |
| Peal boards | No peal boards have been uploaded to BellBoard yet The Central Council is collecting photographs of all peal boards, and curating and uploading them to BellBoard. This includes material from earlier systems found here. |
| Biographies | View the biographies of ringers at this tower on the Central Council Ringing History Hub |
Ring of 8, tenor 19–2–10 in E
| Bells | 8 (full-circle ring)Edit details |
| Tenor | 19–2–10 (2194 lb or 995 kg) in E (648.0 Hz) |
| Practices | Mon (1st, 3rd) |
| Projects & overhauls | 2002 by Hayward Mills Associates (major overhaul) 1969 by Whitechapel Bell Foundry (major overhaul) 1872 by Mears & Stainbank Augmented from 2 bells Recast the lighter of the two original bells and added seven trebles. |
| Tuned | 1969 |
| Peals | View 28 peals in the Felstead Database |
| Additional information | Also 6 bells on display (Antiquities Rm below Ringing Chamber) Tower notice(s) / Dove info discrepant |
| Bell | Weight | Frequency | Note | Diameter | Dated | Founder | Canons | Turning | Hanging | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5–2–17 | E | 29.00″ | 1872 | Mears & Stainbank | R | Y | FC | |||
| 2 | 5–3–7 | D♯ | 29.50″ | 1871 | Mears & Stainbank | R | Y | FC | |||
| 3 | 6–2–0 | C♯ | 32.00″ | 1872 | Mears & Stainbank | R | Y | FC | |||
| 4 | 7–1–0 | B | 33.50″ | 1872 | Mears & Stainbank | R | Y | FC | |||
| 5 | 8–3–21 | A | 37.00″ | 1872 | Mears & Stainbank | R | Y | FC | |||
| 6 | 10–0–25 | G♯ | 39.00″ | 1872 | Mears & Stainbank | R | Y | FC | |||
| 7 | 12–3–18 | F♯ | 42.50″ | 1872 | Mears & Stainbank | R | Y | FC | |||
| 8 | 19–2–10 | 648.0 | E | 49.00″ | 1819 | Thomas II Mears | R | Y | FC |
Display bells
| Bells | 6 (display bells)Edit details |
| Bell | Weight | Frequency | Note | Diameter | Dated | Founder | Canons | Turning | Hanging | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18.25″ | 1858 | Charles & George Mears | Y | N | U | |||||
| 2 | 20.00″ | 1858 | Charles & George Mears | Y | N | U | |||||
| 3 | 21.75″ | 1858 | Charles & George Mears | Y | N | U | |||||
| 4 | 22.00″ | 1858 | Charles & George Mears | Y | N | U | |||||
| 5 [1] | 25.75″ | 1778 | Pack & Chapman | Y | N | U | |||||
| 6 | 31.75″ | 1858 | Charles & George Mears | Y | N | U |
Details of frame
| Frame | Bells | Year | Material | Maker | Truss | Layout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 of 8 | Timber | 6.A | 8.3 |
Notes
[1]History of the Pack & Chapman bell
The 1778 Pack and Chapman bell was previously at Dundees Trades
Hall, which seems to have been a theatre for much of its life, until the building was demolished in 1881. Thomson and Maclaren’s History of Dundee (1874) says (p. 184) that building was at the east end of the High Street, and filling the space between the Seagate and Murraygate
. They add that a domical lantern surmounts the roof, in which is hung a good-toned bell
, and give its inscription which identifies the donors who contributed to this bell to the Trades’ Hall, Dundee. Pack & Chapman, of London, fecit. 1778
.
Published: 02/09/2026; updated: 02/09/2026
Update log
| 02/09/2026 | Describe 1872 work to augment from 2 to 8 [Thomson and Maclaren's History of Dundee] |
| 02/09/2026 | Document history of the Pack and Chapman bell [Thomson and Maclaren's History of Dundee] |
| 14/08/2020 | Frame Fr1: truss added,layout amended [Tim Jackson via e-mail] |
| 01/04/2020 | Both Church of Scotland AND Local Authority [TimJ via e-mail] |
| 16/01/2019 | Flag added: tower bd shows 1872 for 2, but RWMC > 1871 [via JCB] |
| 16/01/2019 | 1-8: diam added [David Sloman via 00013229] |