The Original Church Bell

The 183 foot tall Spire of St. Andrew’s is a striking landmark in Brockley.

Hugely visable, the spire is sometimes lit for special occasions and celebrations.
If the spire is lit for a specific reason, details will be shown on the information screen in the main entrance of the church.

Inside the Spire is a bell which was cast at the Gilbert and Johnson foundry in Croydon in 1884. Gilbert and Johnson cast many famous bells including the fifty-three Carillon bells which are in the Peace Tower of the Canadian Parliament Building in Ottawa.

Our bell has a diameter of thirty seven and a half inches and holds the serial number 788. At some point (potentially during the Second World War) the bell became cracked and can no longer be rung. Due to the logistics of our building we can’t remove the bell from the spire for repair or recasting.

The Current Bell

The now retired bell has recently been supplemented by a new electronic church bell system which will usually be rung as follows:

Mon-Sat: up to five minutes before and/or after services
Sunday: up to five minutes before and/or after worship

Unless we are otherwise directed for purposes of national or civic celebrations, events or memorials, ringing times will not be before 9am or after 7pm.

St. Andrew’s Brockley does not have a tower clock and the bell will not chime each hour.

For your information and clarity, the times of funeral and wedding service are displayed each week on the information screen in the main entrance of the church, and Sunday services (including occasional afternoon and evening services) are listed on the homepage of our website.