St.Thomas's Church, Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex. - Bell Towers on Waymarking.com

This church tower, the church is dedicated to St.Thomas (the Apostle), is dated 1706. It is built of red brick, has a crenellated top, is of three stages with angled buttresses to the western angles. There are two leaded and cross transomed round headed windows to the north and south faces, and similar sounding louvred openings to all faces of the belfry. To the west is a C19th/C20th two-centre arched doorway which has side shafts with moulded capitals and dog tooth moulding over the arches. The double doors are vertically boarded. Above this door is a plaque relating to the building of the 'steeple'. The small doorway with segmental head in the south wall near the church body is the entrance to the spiral stairs to the ringing chamber, now unused. The clock face is above the second window on the south face of the tower.

This tower originally had a full ring of six cast by Robert Catlin in 1744 installed. Since then the tenor has been replaced by one cast by Mears & Stainbank in 1948. Robert Catlin had a foundry in St.Andrew's, Holborn and cast bells for at least three decades, 1720 to 1750. In his election to the Ancient Society of College Youths in 1722, member no. 414, he was quoted as being a Bellfounder.

The bells are in the key of G# the tenor weighing 411kg. The weights of the other five bells are not recorded.

Ringing takes place for Divine Service on Sunday, and practice night is Friday, but there are exceptions.

The position of the ringing circle within the chamber is not ideal, there being some intrusions at floor level to overcome. The entry into the chamber is now via a new door in the east wall of the tower from a balcony placed at the rear of the church which also provides a meeting room and offices. The old spiral stair from a small door in the south aspect of the tower is not used but this stair is still used for access to the clock and bell chambers. The light for the ringing room is through a large, arch topped window and the weights for driving the clock mechanism descend into the room by the window.

Address of Tower: St.Thomas East End Road/High Street Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex UK CM0 7PY Still Operational: yes Number of bells in tower?: 6 Rate tower: Relevant website?: Not listed Tours or visits allowed in tower?: Not listed

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