Does this story ring any bells?

Does anyone recall there being a bell at West Heath? Not a hand-held one, but a large bell which would have been hanging somewhere.

Laurence Corper has contacted WHOGA to ask if anyone remembers a bell in the school building somewhere as he has inherited one from his father who told him it was connected to West Heath.

Laurence says: “The bell was made in 1859. The story is that my father purchased it from a salvage yard in the area.

“It had been removed in the 1990s and was placed in an old gentleman’s front garden. He eventually put it in the hands of a salvage yard and told them that it was the original bell for the Sevenoaks manor house which then became West Heath School for girls.

“My father bought the bell from the salvage yard, and it has now passed to me. I am trying to get to the truth behind this story. Google says there was a bell there.”

It may have been that a bell was originally installed when it was known as Ashgrove House as historical books tell us that old manor houses often featured large bells, usually mounted in a tower or courtyard.

Depending on the era, bells in historic manors were used as part of the estate management before the days when workers had watches. The bells would act as a wake-up call for staff, or to mark the start and the end of a working day, and mealtimes for everyone living on the property.

They could also be used to summon help during fires or emergencies, and alert staff to arriving visitors.

Therefore, it is quite possible that there was a bell at Ashgrove House, as a form of communication, when the house was originally surrounded by several acres of woodland and farmland, which stretched almost to Sevenoaks town and towards what became the A21 bypass.

So far, no one has been able to supply any details about a bell on the estate. One possible location may have been what became the clock tower above Castle as this may have been a bell tower before it later became a clock tower.

Former head mistress Anne Williamson had some major renovation work carried out on Castle in the 90s. If there was still a bell in the tower it is possible it was removed then. But this is purely guesswork.

Is this ringing any bells (pardon the pun) with anyone?