The Bells of St Giles

A peal was rung at Cripplegate on Saturday 13 February 2010 that was arranged by Michael Moreton and was exactly 50 years after the first peal on the new bells, replacing those damaged in the war by enemy action. 'In those days the tower and bells were  the first part of the church to be repaired, the rest of it being just the walls of the church. All around the church the buildings had been destroyed, and the local youths regarded it as their territory, where they played. When the bells were first rung in a try-out sometime earlier, these lads fired airgun pellets up at the windows and as the ringers rang bits of glass came flying through the air, landing on the floor in the middle of the circle. Jim Phillips rang the 5th. in the original peal and Michael Moreton rang the 3rd again. Three other ringers who were in the first peal are John Chilcott, Michael Chilcott and Dennis Randall but they were unable to ring in the anniversary pea

After the destruction of the Church by enemy action in the Second World War, new bells were cast in 1954.  The bells are regularly rung by the Ancient Society of College Youths, and a Sharp 2nd was more recently cast by Whitechapel Bell Foundry following an appeal through the ASCY.  For further details click here

These twelve bells were cast in 1953 by Mears and Stainbank to replace the old ring of twelve destroyed by enemy action in December 1940, which in turn replaced an earlier ring of eight.  Mears and Stainbank was a previous name for what is now the Whitechapel Bell Foundry.