As I mentioned in my post last week, the previous weekend had seen some of Loughborough's buildings and organisations taking part in the Heritage Open Days events. A couple of days before that, I had been fortuitously walking through town, and passed the ever-beautiful Queen's Park. My thought was to walk home through the park, but of course, I'd forgotten it was closed!! So instead, I spent a couple of hours standing on Granby Street watching the exciting events unfolding in the park!
If you're a regular reader of this blog, you might remember that back in March 2023 I was lucky enough to be at the Taylors Bellfoundry to see the Hope Bell being cast. This bell was created to be a memorial to those who died or suffered during the covid pandemic, and as a lasting message of thanks to NHS staff and other key workers. It is actually a chiming set of bells that will ring out regularly, and seems appropriate for a town that hosts the UK's last remaining dedicated bellfoundry.
Anyway, the positioning of the bell had been under discussion for quite some time, and preparatory work began earlier this summer, adjacent to the Swan Maze, which was created by local sculptor, David Tarver in 1988, to commemorate the centenary of the Incorporation of the Borough.
So, on 3rd September, I watched as the Hope Bell arrived at the park, and was hoisted into place, next to the Swan Maze. The park was a hive of activity as people worked together to get the first stage of the project installed. There is still much work to be done before the bell will be operational, but it looks great, and it will be exciting once it is finished.
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| Preparation July 2024 |
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| August 2024 |
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| August 2024 |
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| Late August 2024 |
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| 3rd September 2024 |
And here follows some pics taken on 20th September once the bell structure was in place, and was sitting peacefully in the park!
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Posted by lynneaboutloughborough
With apologies for
typos which are all mine!
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Dyer, Lynne (2024). Hope Bell Installation. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2024/09/hope-bell-installation.html [Accessed 29 September 2024]
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Lynne
What a nice memorial and a great connection to the town being cast there
ReplyDeleteHi Anne! Thank you for reading the blog and taking the time and trouble to comment! Yes, it's a very moving and appropriate way for Loughborough to remember those lost and those who put themselves at risk during the pandemic. Can't wait for it to be wired up to chime every 15 minutes!! Lynne
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