Bell Tower - St.Giles and All Saints' Church, High Road, Orsett, Essex. RM16 3ER - Bell Towers on Waymarking.com

Granted Grade I listing this church dates back to the C12th but there are extensive C14th and C15th alterations. Built of flint and ragstone rubble with Reigate dressings to doors and windows, it has tiled roofs and a weatherboarded spire.

[Reigate stone occurs in the upper greensand beds at the foot of the North Downs in Surrey. The outcrop runs from Godstone in the east to Brockham in the west, centering on the town of Reigate. It is one of the few buildings stones to be found in south east England but its use as a building stone had ended by 1939.]

The Cl5th North-west tower was placed occupying the first C13th bay of the north wall of the nave. Partly stone and partly C17th brick it is of three stages with big diagonal buttresses. With a plain parapet, a thick north-west stair embattled turret, it is surmounted by a weatherboard spire. There is a C19th west door with C17th brick window above. The second stage has a C17th brick window and door to the roof with a two-centred head. The bell chamber has four windows of two four-centred lights and there is a ring of six bells hung for ringing in the English style.
The following is a table extracted from Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers showing the weights in kg, the sounding notes of the bells, founder and date cast.

          Bell 	        Weight         Note            Dated 	      Founder
            1           236.14          F               1886          Mears & Stainbank
            2           271.70          Eb              1791          Thomas I Mears
            3           326.59          Db              1791          Thomas I Mears
            4           362.42          C               1791          Thomas I Mears
            5           444.07          Bb              1791          Thomas I Mears
            6           538.87          Ab              1791          Thomas I Mears

Services are on the second, third and fourth Sundays at 1100.

Words from British Listed Buildings, Pevsner's Essex Buildings, and amended and added to with own on-site observations.

Co-ordinates are for the south of the tower.

Address of Tower: St.Giles and All Saints' Church High Road Orsett, Essex UK RM16 3ER Still Operational: yes Number of bells in tower?: 6 Rate tower: Tours or visits allowed in tower?: Yes Relevant website?: Not listed

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