St Peter's Church - North Hill, Colchester, UK
N 51° 53.398 E 000° 53.788
31U E 355245 N 5750891
St Peter's Church stands on the east side of North Hill at the top of the hill. There has been a church on this site since before the Doomsday survey of 1086. The present bell tower was built in 1758.
Waymark Code: WMRDP4
Location: Eastern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 06/14/2016
Views: 2
St Peter's website tells us about the bells:
The present red brick west tower was built in 1758 to replace an earlier central tower which had to be demolished as unsafe. There is no history of any bells in the old tower, though there may well have been a complete peal. The first definite record of bells in St Peter's is in 1763 when Messrs Lester and Pack of London cast a ring of eight bells, with a tenor bell of 20¾ cwts (1054kg). They were tuned and re-hung by H Bowell & Son, Bell & Brass Founder, Ipswich, in 1893, and continued in use until the early years of the 20th century when some of them became cracked. In 1913 it was decided to have them all recast. The work was entrusted to Messrs John Taylor of Loughborough who provided the present fine toned octave in the key of E flat.
Details of the present bells:
| Treble |
28 in |
(711mm) |
4cwts |
3qtrs |
4lbs |
(243.1kg) |
E flat |
| Second |
29 in |
(737mm) |
5cwts |
1qtr |
5lbs |
(269kg) |
D |
| Third |
31 ½in |
(800mm) |
6cwts |
0qtr |
17lbs |
(312.5kg) |
C |
| Fourth |
34 in |
(864mm) |
7cwts |
1qtr |
7lbs |
(371.5kg) |
B flat |
| Fifth |
37 ½in |
(953mm) |
9cwts |
1qtr |
19lbs |
(478.5kg) |
A flat |
| Sixth |
39 ½in |
(1003mm) |
11cwts |
1qtr |
5lbs |
(573.8kg) |
G |
| Seventh |
44 in |
(1118mm) |
15cwts |
1qtr |
2lbs |
(775.6kg) |
F |
| Tenor |
49 3/8in |
(1254mm) |
21cwts |
0qtr |
17lbs |
(1075kg) |
E flat |
St Peter's church is Grade II* listed with the entry at the Historic England website advising:
Church. C15, remodelled c.1700, tower of 1758 and C19 alterations. Stone rubble with brick tower. Nave with aisles and west tower. South arcade and south aisle early C15, north arcade and north aisle later C15, both arcades extended east C18 in Perpendicular style. North vestry with bone hole below added early C16. The mediaeval church had a central tower but this was removed in 1758 and the west tower built. This is a fine structure, the upper two stages having rusticated quoins and the west face a large and elaborate C19 clock mounted at right angles on a far projecting bracket. In 1692 an earthquake did considerable damage and the windows of the aisles are subsequent to this date. The galleries in the north and south aisles and the west end of the nave are C18. Considerable C19 restoration including the clerestory of 1895. The south door has some C13 ironwork. The early C16 vaulted bone hole is unusual.
INTERIOR fittings include fine pulpit of c.1700, massive font of 1859 by C.F.Haywards and a number of C16 and C17 monuments. A multi-period church with surviving medieval work, a fine C18 tower and other C18 and C19 remodelling and fittings.
The church's website gives a detailed history from links available on this web page.