Preston, St John the EvangelistSt John the Evangelist has a chime of three bells, hung in a central flèche. The church was designed by A. Bloomfield and built by James Longley & Co. of Crawley, after the neighbouring church of St Peter’s had become too small. The foundation stone was laid by the Bishop of Chichester on October 16th, 1901, and the building was completed the following year. A tower was never intended; instead, a tall flèche was constructed on top of the roof.
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About the Bells
3 Bells, 6-2-20 cwt in B
When the church was built, 8 tubular bells, possibly supplied by Harrington, Latham & Co were installed. The rope holes for these are still present. They were given by the late Mr Edward White of Preston who hoped that the chime of 8 would sound similar in tone to the bells at Bruges and Exeter Cathedral.
The New Bells
In 1936, Annette Mary Mackellar, a beloved nun of the church, passed away, and three bells were purchased in her memory. This led to the removal of the tubular bells, which were subsequently scrapped.
The treble was cast around the same time as the second, judging by the similarities in their inscriptions - both use the same size and style of lettering. Although the treble bears no date, the nearly identical second was cast in 1905. The tenor, cast in 1912, features an engraving on the waist dedicated to Mackellar. Originally, the opposite side of the waist carried a 28-letter inscription, but this was chiselled off in 1936–1937. Very faint traces of an E can still be seen at the top.
All three bells were cast by John Taylor & Co. of Loughborough, and were originally hung as part of their foundry carillon. They are tuned to Simpson’s five-tone principle, with the notes D♯, C♯, and B; their quints are slightly flat. Interestingly, the nearby church of St Peter has a ring of three in the same key.
The bells were installed at a total cost of £278 10s, which covered the removal of the tubes, engraving the tenor's inscription, the fixing of the bells, and the installation of the clappers. They are chimed electronically via electromagnetic hammers, operated from the ground floor by push buttons.
When the church was built, 8 tubular bells, possibly supplied by Harrington, Latham & Co were installed. The rope holes for these are still present. They were given by the late Mr Edward White of Preston who hoped that the chime of 8 would sound similar in tone to the bells at Bruges and Exeter Cathedral.
The New Bells
In 1936, Annette Mary Mackellar, a beloved nun of the church, passed away, and three bells were purchased in her memory. This led to the removal of the tubular bells, which were subsequently scrapped.
The treble was cast around the same time as the second, judging by the similarities in their inscriptions - both use the same size and style of lettering. Although the treble bears no date, the nearly identical second was cast in 1905. The tenor, cast in 1912, features an engraving on the waist dedicated to Mackellar. Originally, the opposite side of the waist carried a 28-letter inscription, but this was chiselled off in 1936–1937. Very faint traces of an E can still be seen at the top.
All three bells were cast by John Taylor & Co. of Loughborough, and were originally hung as part of their foundry carillon. They are tuned to Simpson’s five-tone principle, with the notes D♯, C♯, and B; their quints are slightly flat. Interestingly, the nearby church of St Peter has a ring of three in the same key.
The bells were installed at a total cost of £278 10s, which covered the removal of the tubes, engraving the tenor's inscription, the fixing of the bells, and the installation of the clappers. They are chimed electronically via electromagnetic hammers, operated from the ground floor by push buttons.
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Access
The bells are tightly packed into the flèche, with the trebles hung below the tenor and bolted to steel joints. Although the hammers are now rusted over, the frame, bells, and supporting structure remain in sound condition. Access to the belfry is an adventure in itself. First, you ascend a pair of vertical ladders in the organ loft, which lead to a heavy hatch on the roof. A smaller exterior ladder then takes you to a 20-rung ladder running up the side of the roof. The door to the flèche is secured by two screws. Passing through it brings you into the intermediate chamber, where there a concrete slope in the middle. From here, a small wooden ladder is pulled up and passed through another hatch into the belfry, where space is very limited. Visited: 20/07/2023 Harness required |
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Recordings of the bells:
How the bells are tuned in relation to their nominal, using Simpson's theory.
Key [measured in cents]:
-99 ~ -90 -89 ~ -80 -79 ~ -70 -69 ~ -60 -59 ~ -50 -49 ~ -40 -39 ~ -30 -29 ~ -20 -19 ~ -10 -9 ~ -0
0 ~ 9 10 ~ 19 20 ~ 29 30 ~ 39 40 ~ 49 50 ~ 59 60 ~ 69 70 ~ 79 80 ~ 89 90 ~ 99+
-99 ~ -90 -89 ~ -80 -79 ~ -70 -69 ~ -60 -59 ~ -50 -49 ~ -40 -39 ~ -30 -29 ~ -20 -19 ~ -10 -9 ~ -0
0 ~ 9 10 ~ 19 20 ~ 29 30 ~ 39 40 ~ 49 50 ~ 59 60 ~ 69 70 ~ 79 80 ~ 89 90 ~ 99+
Bell 1
Hum - 310Hz - Eb-5
Prime - 620.5Hz - Eb-4
Tierce - 741Hz - F#+2 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 923Hz - Bb-16
Nominal - 1241Hz - Eb-4
Prime - 620.5Hz - Eb-4
Tierce - 741Hz - F#+2 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 923Hz - Bb-16
Nominal - 1241Hz - Eb-4
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Bell 2
Hum - 276Hz - Db-6
Prime - 553Hz - Db-3
Tierce - 662.5Hz - E+9 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 810.5Hz - Ab-41
Nominal - 1106.5Hz - Db-2
Prime - 553Hz - Db-3
Tierce - 662.5Hz - E+9 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 810.5Hz - Ab-41
Nominal - 1106.5Hz - Db-2
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Bell 3
Hum - 246.5Hz - B-2
Prime - 492.5Hz - B-4
Tierce - 590Hz - D+8 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 732Hz - F# -18
Nominal - 986Hz - B-2
Prime - 492.5Hz - B-4
Tierce - 590Hz - D+8 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 732Hz - F# -18
Nominal - 986Hz - B-2
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Inscriptions:
*Underlined text is around the inscription band*
*Text in red is engraved on the bell*
*Text in blue is on the opposite side*
*Text in red is engraved on the bell*
*Text in blue is on the opposite side*
1 |
John Taylor & Co * founders * Loughborough * Leicestershire * ################################## |
2 |
John Taylor & Co * founders * Loughborough * 1905 * ################################# |
3 |
######## Ring out the false, ring in the true ####◉#### 1912 IN MEM: DILECTAE SORORIS ANNETTE MARY MACKELLAR OB: 23. XI. 1936. |
Latin Translation:
3: IN MEM: DILECTAW SORORIS ANNETTE MARY MACKELLAR OB: 23. XI. 1936 - In memory of the beloved sister, Annette Mary MacKellar. Died 23th November 1936.
3: IN MEM: DILECTAW SORORIS ANNETTE MARY MACKELLAR OB: 23. XI. 1936 - In memory of the beloved sister, Annette Mary MacKellar. Died 23th November 1936.
## = Fig. LXIII,a (Bells 1,2,3)
◉ = Fig. LVII,a (Bell 3)
* = Fig. LX,e (Bells 1,2,3)
◉ = Fig. LVII,a (Bell 3)
* = Fig. LX,e (Bells 1,2,3)
Photographs:
*Click on the images to enlarge them*
Sources:
- https://sussexparishchurches.org/church/brighton-and-hove-st-john-preston/
- Christopher J Pickford
