The Bells and Clock of St Bartholomew the Great
The Bells
There are five ringing bells in the tower. They were cast by Thomas Bullisdon, who was active in Aldgate between 1500 and 1515. He is counted as a predecessor of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry which until 2017 operated at premises in Whitechapel High Street.
The reputed date is 1510, making the bell set the only pre-reformation bells in the City of London. They are certainly the only ring in England of more than four pre-reformation bells cast by the same founder.
Inscriptions on the Bells
It seems odd that the Treble (the smallest bell) rather than the Tenor (the largest) is dedicated to the patron Saint.
Each bell bears Bullisdon’s distinctive maker’s mark :
Size and weight of the bells
Bell, Diameter at rim, Approx weight, Note
Treble, 22 inches, 2 cwt 0 qr, F#
2, 24 inches, 2 cwt 3 qr, E
3, 26 inches, 3 cwt 2 qr, D#
4, 28 inches, 4 cwt 1 qr, C#
Tenor, 31 inches, 5 cwt 2 qr*, B
*About 280kg
The Clock
Our clock dates from 1814, and was made by John Thwaites of Clerkenwell. Two years later Mr Thwaites went into partnership with George Reed, to form Thwaites & Reed, a company which remained in Clerkenwell until the 1970s, and still operates from its base near Brighton.
The clock strikes the hours (not the quarters) from 7 a.m. to midnight, on a bell of the same date which was cast by Thomas Mears at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. This hangs in a bell turret on the tower roof.
Ringing Schedule
The bells are rung by the regular band for Evensong on the first and third Sundays of the month (16:10 to 17:00). We also ring for special occasions, chiefly weddings.
We practice from 18:00 to 19:00 on Thursday evenings.
Contact information for Tower Captain, Paul Norman:
Telephone: 07910 322891
Email: p22norman@aol.com