St Lawrence, Lawrence Street

What’s happening here?

St Lawrence’s church was built in the late 1800s and is the largest Parish Church in York. The western tower of the smaller previous church on the site still remains within the churchyard, but this contains no bells. The ring of bells was installed in the main tower in 1999. The 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th and tenor were already in the possession of The York Bell Fund and kindly donated. Four of these had formerly been the four largest bells of a five-bell Westminster clock chime, cast by Taylor’s in 1947. The bells had been exhibited at the Olympia Exhibition, held in London in 1947, and had subsequently been sold and installed in Charrington’s Brewery in the east end of London. These five Taylor bells were augmented to eight by the addition of new treble, 2nd and 5th, cast at Taylor’s early in 1999. The tenor weighs in at just under 8cwt.