Church Bells
St Andrews, Hempstead has a ring of 6 bells. Originally, there were 5 but when the tower was restored in 1961, the old tenor bell was scrapped and the present two trebles were cast from the old metal. The inscription band from the old tenor bell was retained and can be seen at the back of the church, behind the font.
The weights and dates of founding of the bells are as follows:
Bell Founder Year Weight
Treble Mears & Stainbank, London 1961 4-3-22
No. 2 Mears & Stainbank, London 1961 5-2-19
No. 3 Anthony Bartlett, Whitechapel 1664 6-0-17
No. 4 Thomas Gardiner, Sudbury 1751 7-0-16
No. 5 John Tonne, Itinerant Founder 1522-1542 11-3-22
No. 6 Christopher Hodson, London 1678 12-3-8
Groups of visiting ringers are very welcome at St Andrews and any interested groups should phone Matt Antrobus on 01799 599229. Practice sessions are shared with Radwinter bellringers on the second and fourth Mondays of the month at 7.45 p.m. We are able to accommodate most levels of ringing and beginners are particularly welcome, no knowledge of music is required, just a steady hand and a willingness to learn. The tower we ring at varies each week, but Hempstead tower practice is usually the first and third Wednesday of the month. To check where the practice session is to be held phone Matt on the above number email matt@hempstead-essex.org.uk






