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London, City of London, S Bartholomew Less
Place London
S Bartholomew Less
Lieutenancy area City of London
Country England
Historic county Middlesex
Dove tower ID 21748
Rings 3 (chime), tenor 6¾ cwt in BSee below
1 (other bells)See below
Frames 1See below
Grid reference TQ318816
Latitude & longitude 51.51793, -0.10066View on map, or get directions from Google MapsList nearest towers
Satnav lat & long No optimised destination for satellite navigation has been submittedAdd details
Postcode EC1A 9HY
Diocese London
Church Church of England
Listed grade II* by Historic England
Church heritage record 7565
URL http://london.lovesguide.com/tower.php?id=739
Chime of 3, tenor 6¾ cwt in B
Bells 3 (chime)Edit details
Tenor 6¾ cwt (~760 lb or ~340 kg) in B (963.0 Hz)
Projects & overhauls
1951 by Mears & Stainbank (major overhaul)
Bells hoisted into belfry and hung stationary with chiming hammers & chime bracket & all necessary fittings for stationary use.
1940 by Mears & Stainbank (major overhaul)
All 3 bells formerly hung for full circle ringing. Bells 2 and 3 removed from the tower for safety during the War and stored at Cleeve Abbey, Somerset
List all
Additional information Ellacombe apparatus
BellWeightNominalNoteDiameterDatedFounderCanonsTurningHanging
13–2–121223.0D♯26.00″1869Mears & StainbankYD
2 [3]5 cwt1084.0C♯29.25″c1380†John LanghorneYD
3 [4]6¾ cwt963.0B33.50″c1420†Richard CrouchYD
Other bells
Bells 1 (other bells)Edit details
BellWeightNominalNoteDiameterDatedFounderCanonsTurningHanging
Sanctus1¾ cwt1846.0A♯19.43″1825Thomas II MearsYS
Details of frame
FrameBellsYearMaterialMakerTrussLayout
1 [5]1,2,3,Sanctusc1480Oak5.F5.3
Notes

[1]Source contributor

D L Cawley, Jun 1966

Published: 23/11/2021

[2]Status of the parish

St Bartholomew the Less is the only parish church physically situated within a hospital. It ministers to patients, staff, and visitors.

Published: 25/07/2024

[3]Notes

2 of 3: 6 canons

Published: 23/11/2021; updated: 06/02/2024

[4]Notes

3 of 3: 6 canons

Published: 23/11/2021; updated: 06/02/2024

[5]Notes on the frame

The frame is long-headed with king posts, curved braces from post to sill, end-posts, and curved braces from braces to end-posts. It is nicely chamfered. The head of the transverse pit was replaced but otherwise it is largely unaltered. [Visit by Chris Dalton & Chris Pickford, 2000]. Dendronology dates the frame to as far back as 1480, making it the oldest frame in the City of London [The Tree-Ring Analysis of the Bellframe at the Church of St Bartholomew the Less, London EC1, Ian Tyers, Aug 2003]. It was built for 5 bells and all the pits have been occupied at some point in its history, however since at least 1578, there have only ever been 3 bells in the tower [Churchwarden accounts]. The sanctus bell is now in the original tenor pit with post-War Mears & Stainbank fittings, but it did originally hang at a slightly higher level in a flimsy wooden framework in the south belfry window

Published: 13/08/2023

Update log
13/08/2023Fr1, events of 1940, 1951 added [Dickon Love with research from C J Pickford, I Tyers, C J N Dalton]
See full public log
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