Murston

MURSTON, All Saints

Photo RCO 2006

	5 bells and service bell
	Tenor: 10-3-0 in G
	Grid Ref. TQ928639
	Rochester District
	North East tower (incomplete)
	Cambridge Clock Chime (on continuous loop) originally from the News of the World offices, Bouverie Street.
	Formerly 2 bells of which one survives as a service bell.

DETAILS OF THE BELLS

Bell

Weight

Diameter

Pitch

Cast

Founder

1
3-2-12 25" F sharp
1934

Mears & Stainbank

2
4-1-15 26ľ" E
1934

Mears & Stainbank

3
4-3-19 29" D
1934

Mears & Stainbank

4
8-0-8 34⅞" A
1934

Mears & Stainbank

5
10-3-0 38⅞" G
1934

Mears & Stainbank

Service Bell
3˝ cwt approx. 25˝"
c.1540
William Oldfield

These bells were cast to ringing weights being 2, 3, 4, 7, 8 of an octave in G.

INSCRIPTIONS

1.

SYNCHRONOME, LONDON. 1934.

2.

SYNCHRONOME, LONDON. 1934.

3.

SYNCHRONOME, LONDON. 1934.

4.

SYNCHRONOME, LONDON. 1934.

5.

SYNCHRONOME, LONDON. 1934.

S.

ihc

EARLIER BELLS

Bell	Weight	Diameter	Cast	Founder
Former tenor	7 cwt approx.	33"	1673	Anthony Bartlet
Disused 1	Ľ cwt approx.	9"	?	Unknown
Disused 2	˝ cwt approx.	12"	?	Unknown

Former Tenor.

IOHN CRVX CHVRCH WARDEN

Disused 1 [blank]

Disused 2 [blank]

HISTORY

13th Cent	Old church built.
c. 1540	A bell cast for the old church by William Oldfield (according to Stahlschmidt).
1767	One of the three bells was sold by Faculty, being cracked. The wording suggests that they were originally for selling two, "one being sufficient". The Faculty granted allowed the sale of one cracked bell only.
1873	Church pulled down except chancel; new church built on new site.
Late 19th Cent	2 small 'brassfoundry' bells were cast for unidentified building.
1922	Faculty granted for the sale of one bell, "not rung since 1880 and now in pieces on the belfry floor". This must have been the bell which Stahlschmidt says "came from the church of Leysdown", but is clearly one of the survivors of the 1767 Faculty - apparently moved to the new church but never hung.
1934	5 bells cast by Whitechapel per the Synchronome Clock Co., for the clock at The News of the World offices in Bouverie Street.
by 1962	Murston tower contained the Oldfield bell, hung on its old headstock in a simple pine frame, and two smaller disused bells.
1962	News of the World bells removed, offered to Smeeth, but rejected.
1964	Bells given to Murston, complete with looped Cambridge Quarter mechanism; hung on the tower roof in 1965.
1966	Record of the clapper of the larger disused bell in the bell chamber.
by 1994	All bells apart from the chime and the service bell were no longer in the church.
2006	At the request of the DAC, the KCACR inspected the strange installation for safety. The bells were, as the letter to the KCACR stated, "supported by no recognisable engineering method"

Picture provided by Bryan Clark

Murston Old Church c. 1807.