The bells are rung every Sunday before morning mass, and on special occasions to mark parish or City celebrations, such as weddings and the Lord Mayor’s Show. Passers-by can see the ringers in action through the tower windows.
The bell ringers practice on Monday evenings. There is a teaching session 6.00-7.00pm, followed by open ringing 7.00-9.00pm. For further information, please contact the Ringing Master, Thomas Lawrance, on 07807 604344 or thoslawrance@gmail.com; or email the Administrator (administrator@vedast.org.uk) and include ‘Bell ringing’ in the subject line of your message.
The Bells at St Vedast:
Number of Bells: 6
Tenor: 16-2-12 in F
Frame: 1960 Mears & Stainbank (timber)
Full details of the bells can be found on the website of the Church Bells of the City of London.
History of the Bells
Prior to WWII there were eight bells, first cast by John Darbie of Ipswich in 1671/72, hanging in the tower. They were not considered to be a very good ring, at least not by the mid 18th century when the Rambling Club of Ringers visited the tower, reporting:
St Vedast Foster next I name
Some Calls it St Vedast Foster Lane
We rung Seven Hundred College Single
But those bells have a nasty gingle.
The tower with its graffiti dating back to 1709 survived WWII, but the war-damaged bells had to be recast. In 1958 Whitechapel Bell Foundry produced the current fine-sounding ring of six with a tenor weight of 16 ½ cwt (1 cwt heavier than the old ring).