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Members of a south London church are in shock after a 360-kilogram bell was stolen, a church official says.
Author of the article:
• Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 
Beth McKinlay of Holy Trinity St. Stephen’s Memorial Anglican Church on Southdale Road in London shows the small plaque that states Ray Barker donated a bell in 1968. The 360-kilogram vintage CN locomotive bell was stolen from the church some time between Sunday and Monday this week. (Mike Hensen/The London Free Press)
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Members of a south London church are in shock after a 360-kilogram bell was stolen, a church official says.
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Thieves made off with the CN locomotive Bell from outside Holy Trinity St. Stephen’s Memorial Anglican Church at 727 Southdale Rd. E. between Sunday and Monday, said rector’s warden Beth McKinlay.
“We feel very upset. We were in shock all day . . . people were in tears,” McKinlay said. “We just couldn’t believe it. What good is it doing (the thieves)?”
The thieves also painted graffiti on the sidewalk and parts of the church. “There was 666 at the front door,” said McKinlay, adding she believes was a reference to the devil.
London police are probing theft and property damage in the 700-block of Southdale East between June 30 and July 4, Const. Sandasha Bough said by email.
Copper and brass have been high on the hit list for metal thieves, even though copper prices have been slumping amid fears of a recession. But church officials say they’re not sure whether the bell is made of iron or brass.
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Police have no “suspect information” and are appealing to the public for help, Bough said.
The bell, donated by parishioner Ray Barker in 1968, rang in parishioners every Sunday, first at the former Holy Trinity Anglican Church, then at St. Stephen’s after the two merged in 2016.
“The bell followed that congregation over, and it meant a lot to them,” McKinlay said. “Now it means a lot to the St. Stephen’s folks, too.”
The bell had been encased in a wooden frame at the front of the property.
Vandalism and break-ins at the church have been more frequent in recent years, with one incident causing nearly $20,000 in damages, but McKinlay said it was hard to believe someone could steal such a big bell.
“This was 800 pounds . . . ,” she said. “We needed to hoist it into the container.”
The only thing left behind was the plaque with the donor’s name.
With no surveillance footage or clues about suspects, “I’m hoping . . . someone will see something, and the bell will be located and come back to where it belongs,” McKinlay said. “But our faith . . . will still be strong through this.”
London police ask anyone with information to call 519-661-5670.
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