Bellfoundry and church bells

Taylors Bellfoundry and the bells of the Loughborough parish church

One of the sounds that one can’t fail to have missed during the past 9 months is that of church bells ringing out – for all sorts of occasions, as well as calling people to a regular service. Whether or not you are a member of a church, whether or not this is your religion, the ringing of church bells is something that would normally permeate every village, town and city in the country. This is the first time since the Second World War that church bells have fallen silent.

In Loughborough, the irony of the silence of the church bells is that the town is home to the country’s last remaining bellfoundry, Taylors, as the Whitechapel bellfoundry closed in May 2017. Taylors has been an integral part of Loughborough’s industrial history since 1839, when the foundry moved here. Initially, the yard behind the Packhorse pub (now the Organ Grinder) served the bellfounders well, when they arrived in the town to re-cast the bells of the parish church, but by 1859, a larger, purpose-built factory had been created in the area around Freehold and Cobden Streets.

As a working factory, the bellfoundry has an extensive private archive and some of the history of the bellfoundry is shared on the internet, via the bellfoundry website, and that of the Loughborough Bellfoundry Trust. The trust has been in existence since about 2016 and was created to protect the buildings, the archives, and the museum within the bellfoundry for future generations.

A visit to the museum is a real treat as the work of the bellfoundry is showcased not only in a dedicated museum space, but also through an organised tour of the actual foundry where on casting days it’s possible to observe bells being made.

Although church bells may have fallen silent during this pandemic, work at the foundry has continued, and work to create a new museum for the 21st century has also forged ahead, with the appointment of a new museum director:

The new Museum Director for the Bellfoundry Trust, courtesy of Twitter

Also during the pandemic, the bell foundry has been in receipt of grants from the government’s Culture Recovery Fund, and, just before Christmas it was announced that the bellfoundry’s application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a substantial grant had finally been approved. This success made the national news, and was reported on the BBC website, as well as being featured on the Heritage Fund website, and on the website of Ingham Pinnock the economic and regeneration consultants who have been working with the bellfoundry since about 2014.  

The last time I visited Loughborough parish church, in February 2020, was to assist with keeping the church open whilst a ringing event took place, from 2pm, with an expected completion time of 5.45pm. This was a successful challenge - for the bellringers and myself!

Loughborough parish church tower

Inside the parish church Feb 2020

Inside the parish church, Feb 2020

Inside the parish church, Feb 2020

 

More recently, on Christmas Day, 2020, a small band of bellringers were able to ring the bells of the parish church. This was a momentous occasion as it was the first time the bells had been rung since 15th March 2020, just before the national lockdown. Several important safety inspections were carried out before this COVID-safe peal was allowed to go ahead, but those involved were absolutely thrilled to be able to ring, and people in the neighbourhood were thrilled to hear that iconic sound of church bells.

Let’s hope 2021 brings more opportunities for bellringers to ring, for townsfolk to hear the familiar sounds, for the bellfoundry works to flourish, and the bellfoundry's museum plans to develop.  

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough 27 December 2020

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Dyer, Lynne (2020). Bellfoundry and church bells. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2020/12/bellfoundry-and-church-bells.html [Accessed 27 December 2020]

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