St.
Matthew with St. James, Bethnal Green
Details of the Bells
| Treble | 4-3-9 | F | 1861 | George Mears & Co |
| 2 | 4-3-24 | E | 1861 | George Mears & Co |
| 3 | 5-2-4 | D | 1861 | George Mears & Co |
| 4 | 6-1-8 | C | 1861 | George Mears & Co |
| 5 | 7-0-0 | Bb | 1861 | George Mears & Co |
| 6 | 8-0-25 | A | 1861 | George Mears & Co |
| 7 | 10-0-4 | G | 1861 | George Mears & Co |
| Tenor | 14-1-23 | F | 1861 | George Mears & Co |
Sound Clips:
PART OF A COURSE OF LONDON S. MAJOR BY A BAND OF ASCY MEMBERS PRIOR TO THE INDUCTION OF REV. SCULLY
PART OF THREE LEADS OF BRISTOL S. MAJOR BY A BAND OF ASCY MEMBERS PRIOR TO THE INDUCTION OF REV. SCULLY
PART OF A PEAL ATTEMPT OF SUPERLATIVE S. MAJOR BY A BAND OF ASCY MEMBERS
Ringing Times
As required for Church occasions only (Restricted)
Service Ringing: By arrangement
Conductor & Steeplekeeper: Leon G. ThompsonHistory
| 1760's | A ring of eight was installed by Lester & Pack. |
| 1820's | The Junior Society of Cumberland Youths was engaged in ringing at Bethnal Green as well as All Hallows, Barking-by-the-Tower; Shadwell; St Dunstan, Stepney; the old 12 at Spitalfields and other Churches in the vicinity. |
| 1840 - 1859 | Mr Matt. Wood became involved with the tower, and joined the Ancient Society of College Youths. He served as Master of that Society, and was Conductor and Steeplekeeper of Bethnal Green from 1840 until his death in 1912 - a marathon 72 years. The fourth ever peal (and the first in the Metropolis) of Superlative S. Major was rung 9th February 1850 for the St. James's Society. |
| 1859 | December - The tower and old bells were consumed in a fire. Details..... |
| 1861 | George Mears of the Whitechapel Foundry cast a new ring of 8 for the tower. |
| 1861 onwards | The Ancient Society of College Youths under the leadership of Mr M.A. Wood rang many peals at the tower and also Sunday service ringing at 10am prior to service, and quarter peals on Sunday Evenings (often Grandsire Triples, taken from 'The Original'). Between these dates the Ancient Society of College Youths had a regular association with the tower and rang many peals on the bells. Matthew Wood rang in the legendary 8580 Stedman Cinques in 1861 at St Michael, Cornhill, and James Dwight composed a song in doggerel verse which he used to sing at the Ancient Society of College Youths annual dinners. It contains a verse about each of the ringers in the peal and says of Matthew Wood "Young ringers all take my advice, copy him you should. Study well his attitude; it's the famous Matthew Wood". Mr Wood's last peal was rung at Bethnal Green in about 1910 called by 'Bert Hughes, proprietor of the Whitechapel Foundry. |
| 1912 | 27th Aug: Mr M.A. Wood passed away. His funeral was held on 31st August,(Details of his life & times...)and many hundreds attended the service, and lined the streets all the way to the cemetery. A course of Stedman Caters on handbells was rung by ASCY members over his coffin prior to the committal. Having lost this link with the tower, the College Youths drifted away from Bethnal Green and the bells were seldom rung. |
| 1925 | The bells were rehung, and the first peal after rehanging rung by a new local band; being members of the London County Association (Late St. James's Society) - Grandsire Triples, Conducted by Mr L.J. Attwater |
| 1940's | The Church received a hit from a flying bomb which destroyed the intriguing and decorative spire and also gutted the Church interior, though amazingly by the Grace of the good God, the tower and bells survived intact. |
| 1954 | The bells were again rehung by the Whitechapel Foundry. The church interior was redesigned on very modern Anglo-Catholic lines. |
| 1960's- 1999 | The bells received little ringing during this period, though attempts were made at installation of Sound Control, and the teaching of another local band. |
| 1999 | The Antient Society of Eastern Trinity and Westminster Youths became responsible for providing ringing on specific occasions as stipulated by the Church for Church events. The second and fourth had become loose on their headstocks and were tightened. The clappers were checked and new leathers ordered. The ringing room was tidied and the peal boards made by Matthew Wood were cleaned, mended, and rehung on the walls. |
| 2006 | Tenor came loose on the headstock which problem was to be rectified; however an individual took it upon himself by arrangement with a Curate during the absence of the Rector to (supposedly) repair the damage, though this person only tightened the clapper back rather than truing the bell back on the stock also, and it was thanks only to two vigilant members of the St James's Society being in the vicinity at the time and putting this person right as to the work required that the bell was tightened back on the stock properly. Had this not been done, and all the 14cwt of the bell being borne through the clapper, it could very well have broken out the crown and thus irreparably damaged the heaviest of this famous old set of bells. |
| 2007 | The Whitechapel Foundry Band began arranging monthly practices at the tower with members of The St James's Society assisting. |
