The Grace Church chime occupies a unique place in the history of American bells. The bells were cast by the foundry of William Blake and Company of Boston, which traced its roots to the Paul Revere Foundry, established in 1821 and operated by Joseph Revere and Paul Revere’s grandson, Paul Revere III. Of the twelve chimes that are known to have come from this foundry, only ten survive. The Grace Church chime is the sixth oldest, and only Grace’s chime and one other remain in their original state. 

While the bells themselves are in good condition, the frame and support hardware are deteriorating and in danger of failure. This could result in one or more of the bells being badly damaged, which would be a tragic loss for Grace Church, for the community of Newton, and indeed for the entire history of bell founding in America.  

The bells are cast from an alloy of approximately 80 percent copper and 20 percent tin known as bell bronze. They are nicely weathered with a greenish gray patina and no large chips or missing pieces. 

The chime is set up in a traditional manner with the largest bell sitting on top of the bell frame in a swinging configuration. The other bells, which are stationary (they are fixed to the bell frame and do not move) all hang on one level, around the perimeter of the frame, under the large swinging bell.  

Each bell bears a foundry inscription (“Cast by William Blake & Co. Formerly H. N. Hooper & Co. Boston, Mass. AD 1873”), and a custom inscription of text selected by Elizabeth Eldredge, the donor. 

In 2008 a small group of church members met with the Grace Music Director, Dr. Linda Clark, to learn how to play the bells. Every Sunday thereafter, one of the parishioners played the Eldredge Chime before and after services. The chimers, ranging from age seven to seventy-seven, climb the narrow twisting staircase regardless of heat waves or blizzards. Once in the bell chamber, the bells are played by pressing hand levers that activate a pulley system connected to wooden cables which in turn move the clappers of each bell. Since all the ringing is done manually, occasionally an error will be heard — adding to the humanity and purity of the music.  

Grace’s bells define the bucolic soundscape of the Farlow and Kenrick Parks Historic District, having pealed to celebrate the end of world wars and to solemnize 9/11 and the Boston Marathon Bombing. In 2020, the civil rights anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” rang out in observance of Black Lives Matter, and the bells rang again to honor Newton’s graduating class of 2020 as they observed their graduation in the midst of a pandemic.  

Due to the disrepair of the bell tower, the bells have not been played weekly since the fall of 2019. Once the tower is restored, in addition to ringing the bells every Sunday, Grace Church plans to host summer bell concerts.  

The historic Eldredge Chime, unique and irreplaceable, continues to be an important feature of Newton Corner and the Farlow Park neighborhood. Please help us restore the bells and bring them back to life!  

Donations can be made by clicking on the donate button on this page. All contributions are tax deductible.