| Description | St Luke's Church in Charlton, London, England, is an Anglican parish church in the Diocese of Southwark. Records suggest that a church dedicated to St Luke existed on the site around 1077. It was rebuilt in 1630 with funds provided by Sir Adam Newton, of Charlton House. The coat of arms of one of Newton's executors, the Scottish courtier David Cunningham of Auchenharvie is displayed on the pulpit. The 1630s work, constructed of Kentish red brick, forms the core of the present building, which is Grade II* listed. It was modified in the 17th century, again in 1840 and finally in 1956. Remnants of chalk and flint walls have been found and may relate to the original building. The bell tower is located in the centre of the front entrance of the church, made in a traditional British aspect with 4 sides, and 4 covered windows at the belfry. |
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| Protection | Protection Grade II* Listing |
| Current Status | Bell tower in perfect state |
| Pigeons and other pests | Free from any plague |
| Bells |
Historically St Luke's had a peal of large bells but the last four were taken down from the tower during the second world war. Two were found to be damaged and never got repaired. One of the other bells disappeared, leaving only a matin / tenor bell which was rehung in the 1960s. This bell is rung each Sunday from the baptistry at the West End of the church. I assume the previous bells were rung from the first room up in the tower, a space that is separated from the belfry by a compression chamber. Bells would have been raised and lowered through trap doors, the lowest of which was hidden by an enterprising Victorian with the novel relocation of the historic sounding-board that was once above the pulpit. At some point in the 1990s our patron, the late Viscount Gough, heard that the Whitechapel Bell Foundry was in danger of going out of business and offered to purchase a set of bells for St Luke's. This unsolicited gift enabled the bell foundry to stay open long enough for its order book to be filled in response to Tim Rice encouraging bells to be able to ring in the Millennium. St Luke's took delivery of the new bells in 2000. They provide a minor scale for which a small repertoire has been transcribed for those who might play by number rather than ear. The console of ropes means playing is akin to pulling pints, however, the console being part way up the tower means limited access for some potential bell ringers. The bells are rarely played because there are very few ringers. Special requests such as weddings can be catered for and we have established a tradition of encouraging the thirty thousand marathon runners who pass by each year in the London Marathon. |
| Traditional bell ringing | Peals (Sundays, special occasions) |
| Current bell ringing | Occasional bell ringing on console. Tenor bell ringing on Sunday. |
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