Croydon Minster, St John the Baptist
Church Street, Croydon, CR0 1RN Find on map
Number of bells: 12
Tenor Weight: 36¾ cwt
Ground floor ring: No
District: Northern
Practice Night: Tuesday
Ringing Times: Sunday Service: 9.15-10.00am (Phone to confirm). Evening - by arrangement only. Practice: 8.00-9.30pm
Entry: The main entrance is through the West Door which fronts onto the paved area in front of the Church. Inside is a door in the base of the West Tower giving access to the first floor ringing chamber
Contact: Tower Captain: semcgill@blueyonder.co.uk Shirley McGill
Website: www.croydonringers.yolasite.com
The church is situated to the West of the present bustling shopping and business centre, the imposing tower can be clearly seen alongside the new dual carriageway. Gilbert Scott largely rebuilt the present building, the largest parish church in Surrey, after the disastrous fire of 1867, which destroyed all, but the tower and outer walls. Inside are monuments to Queen Elizabeth l’s Archbishop of Canterbury, John Whitgift (1604) and Archbishop Sheldon (1677). There is also a fine big pre-Reformation brass lectern. The present ring of 12 bells were all cast, tuned and hung by Gillett and Johnston of Croydon in 1936. In 1946 a flat 6th was added and in 1978 an extra Treble.