Merton Park, St Mary
Church Path, Merton Park. SW19 3HJ Find on map
Number of bells: 6
Tenor Weight: 7¼ cwt
Ground floor ring: Yes
District: Northern
Practice Night: Monday
Ringing Times: Sunday Service: 8.50-9.30am (but 9.20 to 10am on Harvest Festival, Remembrance Sunday, Christmas Day, Mothering Sunday, Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday.); evenings 5.50-6.30pm (phone to check). Practice: 7.45-9.15pm
Entry: Ground floor ringing at west end of church with entry directly through the west door, or north door prior to services
Contact: Daphne Perry (07963 618 542) , bells@stmarysmerton.org.uk
Additional Information: Street parking OK on Saturday.
Website: https://stmarysmerton.churchdesk.com/page/51/our-bell-ringers.
Tower walls date back to 1115 and much of the frame of the building is 12th & 13th century. The bells were augmented to 6 in the 1970s. The 5th is possibly the second oldest regularly rung bell in Surrey, dating back to c.1450. Others date from 1621 (tenor), 1803 (4th) and 1897 (2nd and 3rd). The Church is known for its connections with Admiral Lord Nelson, Elizabeth Cook (wife of the circumnavigator) and Rear Admiral Isaac Smith (the first Englishman to land in Australia). It is at the centre of the John Innes Conservation Area, which was the first garden suburb developed by the horticulturist and property developer.