The UK's Last Great Bellfoundry: Preserving Loughborough's Living Heritage

When I took early retirement from my job as a librarian, I knew I had to look for some regular volunteering opportunities to not only give structure to my day, but also to help me learn more about Loughborough, and to socialise with like-minded people.

I first visited the Bellfoundry way back in the late 1980s, and had visited again in 2017 as an Honorary member of the Loughborough Library Local Studies Volunteer Group. I also worked with the Bellfoundry for Heritage Open Days in 2019, when I led a guided walk from the Carillon to the Bellfoundry, via the parish church. 

However, it wasn’t until 2022 that I took the plunge and became a volunteer, initially working with MASS Collective, and a group of eleven other volunteers on a photography project to document the progress of the exciting changes that were happening. Very soon after, I became an assistant tour guide, and then a behind-the-scenes-at-the-museum volunteer! 

And so it is a great honour, and with great pleasure, that in celebration of my own blog’s 13th birthday, the staff of the Bellfoundry Trust (Taryn and Thomas) have written a short history of the bellfoundry. 

Prepare to be surprised – and invited to visit or become a volunteer!!

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The UK's Last Great Bellfoundry: 

Preserving Loughborough's Living Heritage

In a seemingly unsuspecting housing estate on the edge of Loughborough sits the UK’s last remaining major Bellfoundry, John Taylor and Co. Starting back in 1759 with Robert Taylor in St Neots completing his bellfounding apprenticeship, this family-run Bellfoundry is full of history that is still being made today.

The buildings that stand today were purpose-built in the 1850s by John William Taylor I. Unfortunately, he was never to see it completed, as he died in 1858, just one year before it was finished in 1859.

Loughborough Bellfoundry - Works 1870

The foundry was successful during the Victorian era, with the peak being the casting of ‘Great Paul’ for St Paul’s Cathedral. The 16.5-ton bell was transported from Loughborough to London by traction engine, through villages.

The family business was passed down generations from father to son, from brother to brother. During the First World War, with most of the men off fighting, women took over! Known as the ‘Shells Girls’, they fulfilled the orders, manufacturing shell castings for the war effort. The Taylor family lost three sons to WWI: John “Jack” William Taylor 1885-1916, Gerard “Jerry” Bardsley Taylor 1886-1918 and Arnold Bradley Taylor 1894-1916.

Taylor staff - Group photograph of munitions girls with shell cases, men and managers with John Oldham centre, 1917

In 1923 the Loughborough Carillon was built: Taylor’s cast 47 bells for this musical instrument that is still played today, every Thursday at 1pm and on special occasions. [1]

The 47 bells of the Loughborough Carillon in the foundry

With WWII came some deviation of production at Taylor’s, including aircraft components and tank turrets. Alongside casting another great bell, ‘Great George’ of Liverpool in 1940. [2]

Paul Taylor was the last member of the Taylor family to run the company. During his time at the helm, the foundry secured major international commissions, including the 53-bell carillons for Washington National Cathedral in the United States and Canberra in Australia. He also introduced new audiences to bellfounding through appearances on the American television programme What's My Line?, which aired on 15 September 1963, [3] and the BBC's Other People's Jobs, aired on 19 January 1956. [4]

When Paul retired in 1977, a board of directors was established, as there was no Taylor family heir who wished to take over the business. Alan Berry was appointed General Manager and guided the company through the 1980s. During this period, Taylor's supplied the one-ton bell used by AC/DC for their hit single Hells Bells, with the famous bell recording made at the foundry. In 1986, the Taylor's Bellfoundry Museum was established to preserve and share the history of the Taylor family, the foundry and the tradition of bellringing. Paul died in 1981 at the age of 67, and some of our volunteers still remember him and his children from the local area.

Paul Taylor, date unknown

In more recent years the Bellfoundry merged with bellhangers Eayre & Smith Ltd in 2005, and in 2009, Taylor’s went into administration facing potential closure. This galvanised a group of bellringers to pool their resources and create the UK Bell Foundries Ltd. to enable Taylor’s to continue business.

A small Taylor, Eayre, and Smith rug

In 2016 the board of directors created the Loughborough Bellfoundry Trust with the aim to conserve the rich history of the Bellfoundry. The Trust is responsible for the preservation of the site, including the archives, museum, factory and foundry.

In 2019, the Trust secured funding to enable the regeneration and restoration of the foundry site, museum and archives. The archives at Taylor’s date back to the very start, holding details of over 10,000 church towers. The archive is still regularly used today, with enquiries coming in from all over the world. It was formally reopened in 2024.

The striking new bellfoundry entrance

The Loughborough Bellfoundry Trust not only helps to preserve this historic site but also celebrates its heritage by offering public and private tours. These provide a unique opportunity to explore the inner workings of the United Kingdom's last remaining bellfoundry and discover the centuries-old craft of bellfounding.

The Trust is supported by a dedicated team of volunteers who contribute in a variety of ways. Some work front-of-house, welcoming and engaging with visitors, while others lead tours around the historic factory. Tour support volunteers help ensure visitors have a safe and enjoyable experience, acting as a helpful presence throughout the site. We also offer opportunities to work with our wonderful archivist, Chris, helping to care for and explore the Bellfoundry’s extensive archive collection.

The archive during relocation 2024

If you are interested in volunteering with us, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please get in touch to find out more about the opportunities available. https://belltrust.co.uk/volunteers/

Visitors to the refurbished Bellfoundry Museum

In 2026 the Trust worked in collaboration with Charnwood Arts on a Digital installation for the museum, whch is an interactive timeline of the Taylor’s family and their bellfounding.

If you would like to see where bells are made, please come and visit us!

Tours can be booked online at Belltrust.co.uk

And don’t forget to book a visit to the Bellfoundry during the Heritage Open Days event [5], when you will be able to meet the Master Bellfounder, and experience a behind-the-scenes tour of this historic factory!

We look forward to welcoming you!

(T&T)

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Notes

[1] You can find out more about the Carillon and the recitals on the Charnwood Borough Council website - https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/loughborough_carillon_tower   

[2] Liverpool’s Great George is a little lighter than London’s Great Paul, coming in at only 14.5 tons

[3] This was as a result of Paul Taylor being in the United States of America for the dedication of the Washington National Cathedral carillon's 53 bells.

[4] You can read about the carillon in St Peter’s Episcopal church in New Jersey on a blogpost from 2014!

[5] For a list of all the Heritage Open Day events that are taking place in Loughborough during the week leading up to, and during the weekend of 19-20 September, pop over to the Heritage Open Days website.

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Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

The copyright © of all content on this blog rests with me, however, you are welcome to quote passages from any of my posts, with appropriate credit. The correct citation for this looks as follows:

Dyer, Lynne (2026). The UK's Last Great Bellfoundry: Preserving Loughborough's Living Heritage. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2026/08/the-uks-last-great-bellfoundry.html  [Accessed 16 August 2026]

Take down policy:

I post no pictures that are not my own, unless I have express permission so to do. All text is my own, and not copied from any other information sources, printed or electronic, unless identified and credited as such. If you find I have posted something in contravention of these statements, or if there are photographs of you which you would prefer not to be here, please contact me at the address listed on the About Me page, and I will remove these.

External Links:

By including links to external sources I am not endorsing the websites, the authors, nor the information contained therein, and will not check back to update out-of-date links. Using these links to access external information is entirely the responsibility of the reader of the blog.

Blog archive and tags:

If you are viewing this blog in mobile format, you will not be able to easily access the blog archive, or the clickable links to various topics. These can be accessed if you scroll to the bottom of the page, and click 'View Web Version'. Alternatively, there is also a complete list of posts, which when clicked will take you to the page you are interested in.

Searching the blog:

You can search the blog using the dedicated search box that appears near the top of the blog when viewed in the web version. Alternatively, you can search using your usual search engine (e.g. Bing, Google, DuckDuckGo etc.) by following this example:

site: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/ “Radmoor House”

NOTE – the words you’re actually looking for must be in “” and the first of these must be preceded by a space

Thank you for reading this blog.

Lynne

Queen’s Park and the Carillon

I’ve wandered through our beautiful Queen’s Park quite a few times recently, and been struck by how fabulous it looks! Of course, I had quite forgotten that on 22nd July, the Carillon celebrated its 103rd year! It seems like only yesterday we were celebrating Carillon100, with a lovely event in the park.

Although I didn’t visit the park on the day, I was there for a bit of a photoshoot the day before, and a few days later, I enjoyed listening to the Quorn Ukulele Orchestra playing in the bandstand. And, yesterday, whilst out hunting down drain covers (as you do!) I captured the Carillon on film, from a couple of different vantage points.

Of course, there’s a lot of work goes on in the park which we’re not always aware of. IdVerde and the Friends of Queen’s Park do a wonderful job of maintaining and re-imagining the displays. I admit, I was sad to see the Olympic rings near the New Street entrance go, but, no doubt, the flower displays replacing them will be magnificent.

I was interested to read recently that the aviaries are to be replaced. They are going to be kept in the same position, but interestingly, they were not originally placed where they are now. You can hear me talking about this back in 2019, and you can see my hands in the BBC report about the forthcoming work! I believe the work has already started, so I must pop back to the park and record the progress!

As part of Loughborough’s offering for Heritage Open Days in September, I’ll be leading some walks around town, some of which will focus on Queen’s Park. Check the Heritage Open Days website for more details of all the events, and all the venues that are open in Loughborough!

And, the other big news is that next week is the blog’s 13th birthday!! As in the previous couple of years, I will again be hosting some exciting guest blogposts, so do pop back here and check them out!

In the meantime, enjoy the photos of my recent visits to Queen's Park and the Carillon.

21st July 2026, the day before the Carillon's 103rd birthday!

Olympic rings are now gone

 

The Quorn Ukulele Orchestra playing in the bandstand, Sunday 26 July 2026

Viewed from Arthur Street, 30 July 2026

Viewed from Brown's Lane, 30 July 2026

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Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

The copyright © of all content on this blog rests with me, however, you are welcome to quote passages from any of my posts, with appropriate credit. The correct citation for this looks as follows:

Dyer, Lynne (2026). Queen’s Park and the Carillon. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2026/07/queens-park-and-carillon.html  [Accessed 31 July 2026]

Take down policy:

I post no pictures that are not my own, unless I have express permission so to do. All text is my own, and not copied from any other information sources, printed or electronic, unless identified and credited as such. If you find I have posted something in contravention of these statements, or if there are photographs of you which you would prefer not to be here, please contact me at the address listed on the About Me page, and I will remove these.

External Links:

By including links to external sources I am not endorsing the websites, the authors, nor the information contained therein, and will not check back to update out-of-date links. Using these links to access external information is entirely the responsibility of the reader of the blog.

Blog archive and tags:

If you are viewing this blog in mobile format, you will not be able to easily access the blog archive, or the clickable links to various topics. These can be accessed if you scroll to the bottom of the page, and click 'View Web Version'. Alternatively, there is also a complete list of posts, which when clicked will take you to the page you are interested in.

Searching the blog:

You can search the blog using the dedicated search box that appears near the top of the blog when viewed in the web version. Alternatively, you can search using your usual search engine (e.g. Bing, Google, DuckDuckGo etc.) by following this example:

site: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/ “Radmoor House”

NOTE – the words you’re actually looking for must be in “” and the first of these must be preceded by a space

Thank you for reading this blog.

Lynne

So Who Is our Letter T?

An A-Z of Architects of Loughborough

For a complete list of the A-Z posts please head over to the bloglist.

 

Letter T in the A-Z blogging challenge throws up many choices! I will struggle to provide relevant posts for some of the final letters of the alphabet, so in case I do fall short, let’s have a look into a couple of architects for letter T!

Short biography of Frank Tranmer

Frank was born in 1887 to Henry, a grocer, and Martha Kate, née Luck, in Scarborough. He grew up on Candler Street, where his father was a grocer, and upon his father’s early death, when Frankl was only 10, the business was continued by his mother. [Check out Candler Street on a street view map: No. 41, where the Tranmers are said to have lived, looks like an ordinary house, whereas No. 43 has distinct signs of once being a corner shop – a ghost sign and a hanging sign frame on the side wall, and a new brick wall.]

In 1913, Frank married Ida Dorothy Emerson in Harrogate. The couple went on to have children, Dorothy in 1915, and Eric in 1920. Eric sadly died at the age of 24 in a flying accident during the Second World War.

Shortly after the end of the First World War, Frank joined the architectural practice of Samuel Stead, who had founded the company just before the start of the war, when he retired from the position of borough engineer for Harrogate. Samuel then retired from his newly formed company in 1922.

In 1925, Frank designed a new school for Loughborough, which was in what was once part of the grounds of Limehurst House. In 1930, The Yorkshire Post described one of Frank’s new buildings:

“Parochial halls are usually more utilitarian than beautiful, and it is pleasing to find in Harrogate, on a prominent site on the busy Leeds Road, a building which combines both qualities. In place of the corrugated iron room which stood in the grounds of St Mark’s church, and spoiled one of its characteristic aspects, the new parochial hall, designed by Mr Frank Tranmer of Harrogate, is a notable addition to the smaller architectural treasures of the town.”

Frank, who resided at 34 Park Parade, Harrogate, died on 17 March 1938, and his personal effects were £5,269 13s. 8d.

Until Franks’ death, the architectural practice was based in Westminster Chambers, Station Parade, Harrogate. Following his death, the practice moved to Victoria Avenue, Harrogate, and was run by architects Eric Brown and Harry Bailey, who joined in 1937 and 1938 respectively.

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What follows is a selection of buildings designed by Frank Tranmer

Note: this is a selective, not a comprehensive listing.

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*Limehurst School (1925, opened 1931)

*Norton Church House, attached to St Peter’s church, Norton on Derwent, Malton, Yorks.

* Parochial Hall for St Mark’s church, Harrogate (1930)

*Rest homes (almshouses) for Mr Kirby, Driffield (1933)

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Basic facts

Name: Frank Tranmer

Parents: Henry (1860-1897) and Martha Kate Luck (1859-1948), m.1883

Date and place of Birth: 1887, Scarborough

Spouse: Ida Dorothy Emerson (1887-1984), m.1913, Harrogate

Children: Dorothy Phyllis (1915); Eric William (an architect) (1920-1944)

Places lived: 41 Candler Street, Scarborough; Park Parade, Harrogate

Place of work/Offices: Station Parade, Harrogate

Qualifications

Associate of RIBA 1920

Fellow of RIBA 1933

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Short biography of Walter John Tapper

Walter John Tapper, born in 1861 in Bovey Tracey, is one of those nationally well-known architects who played an important role in designing one of Loughborough’s buildings. Others, whom I could have written about in earlier blogposts include Thomas Rickman (Emmanuel Church); William Slater (the Corn Exchange/Town Hall, and the Baxter Gate Dispensary); William Railton (the Bavarian Gates, and several of the lodge houses at Garendon Park); Arthur William Blomfield (Holy Trinity church) – and more!

Walter Tapper’s work was predominantly but not exclusively on church buildings, including St Mary’s in Harrogate, St Erkenwald’s in Southend, and St Stephen’s in Grimsby. Other work included Bicton Hall, Devon; Eartham Grange, Worcestershire, and Shipley Hall, Derbyshire, which, I think, was once home to the American Adventure theme park.

In Loughborough, Walter Tapper was the architect chosen to design the iconic Carillon Tower and War Memorial, in 1921, although his first design was rejected as being rather too expensive. Building work started in November 1921, the foundation stone was laid in January 1922, and the building was officially opened in July 1923. What is amazing about this building is that it was a truly local affair, the idea for such a war memorial being supported by citizens and officials of the town, and the structure being created with local trades and local materials. This is what I wrote in ‘Loughborough in 50 Buildings’:

“Queen’s Park is the perfect setting for Loughborough’s unusual war memorial. The Grade II Listed Carillon Tower, built following public consultation, provides a lasting memorial to local people who perished in the First World War. Heanor chose a memorial hospital, Quorn a memorial garden, other towns a stained-glass church window, or other monument: Loughborough chose to honour its dead by building a towering structure housing a carillon. The bells would be reminiscent of those more commonly found in Belgium: many of those to whom the Carillon is dedicated, fell at Ypres.

Walter Tapper, the architect appointed to design the edifice, was a contemporary of Sir George Gilbert Scott, and most noted for his churches. In the latter part of his career Tapper was a President of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

The construction of the tower was a most local affair: built by Moss, of bricks by Tuckers; steelwork by Herbert Morris, and the bells of the carillon made by Taylors Bellfounders.

A Portland stone base and window dressing, with pointing of Portland cement complement the local materials. At 151 feet tall, the Tower weighs a total of 1,300 tons. The main gallery projecting from the body of the tower, is surrounded by sixteen columns which support the roof, and an octagonal gallery with a turret, topped by a cupola roof, rise from this gallery. Access is through the large wooden doors at ground level, and then via the spiral stone stairs.

The foundation stones were laid in 1922 by General Lord Horne and Mrs J. T. Godber, and the memorial unveiled by Field Marshal Sir William Robertson on Sunday 22nd July, 1923. In 1928 a stone balustrade around the base of the tower was added, and in 1981 floodlighting was presented by descendants of the Tucker family.”

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What follows is a selection of buildings designed by Walter John Tapper

Note: this is a selective, not a comprehensive listing.

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*Alterations to York Minster

*Alterations to Westminster Abbey

*St Mary’s church, Harrogate

*St Stephen’s, Grimsby.

*Bicton Hall, Devon

*Eartham Grange, Worcestershire

*Shipley Hall, Derbyshire

*Carillon Tower and War Memorial, Loughborough (1921/3)

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Basic facts

Name: Walter John Tapper

Parents: George (1816-1877) and Elizabeth, née Medland (1818-1881)

Date and place of Birth: 21 April 1861, Bovey Tracey, Devon

Spouse: Catherine Jotcham, m.1886, St Mary’s Islington

Children: Michael John (became an architect) (1886-1963); Kathleen (1890-1977)

Death: 21 September 1935, Westminster; buried in the west cloister of Westminster Abbey

Places lived: Bovey Tracey; Clerkenwell; Gray’s Inn Square, London’ Hornsey Middlesex; St John’s Wood; Dean’s Yard, Westminster

Qualifications

Associate of RIBA 1889

Fellow of RIBA 1912

Associate of the Royal Academy 1926

President of RIBA 1927-1929

Royal Academician 1935

Knighted 1935

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I’m taking part in the April A-Z Blogging Challenge!

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Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

The copyright © of all content on this blog rests with me, however, you are welcome to quote passages from any of my posts, with appropriate credit. The correct citation for this looks as follows:

Dyer, Lynne (2026). So Who Is our Letter T? Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2026/04/so-who-is-our-letter-t.html  [Accessed 23 April 2026]

Take down policy:

I post no pictures that are not my own, unless I have express permission so to do. All text is my own, and not copied from any other information sources, printed or electronic, unless identified and credited as such. If you find I have posted something in contravention of these statements, or if there are photographs of you which you would prefer not to be here, please contact me at the address listed on the About Me page, and I will remove these.

External Links:

By including links to external sources I am not endorsing the websites, the authors, nor the information contained therein, and will not check back to update out-of-date links. Using these links to access external information is entirely the responsibility of the reader of the blog.

Blog archive and tags:

If you are viewing this blog in mobile format, you will not be able to easily access the blog archive, or the clickable links to various topics. These can be accessed if you scroll to the bottom of the page, and click 'View Web Version'. Alternatively, there is also a complete list of posts, which when clicked will take you to the page you are interested in.

Searching the blog:

You can search the blog using the dedicated search box that appears near the top of the blog when viewed in the web version. Alternatively, you can search using your usual search engine (e.g. Bing, Google, DuckDuckGo etc.) by following this example:

site: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/ “Radmoor House”

NOTE – the words you’re actually looking for must be in “” and the first of these must be preceded by a space

Thank you for reading this blog.

Lynne

Carillon recitals

There’s been lots happening in Loughborough lately, but sadly, I seem to have missed quite a lot of it!

So, although I was invited to the ceremony to hear the first sounding of the Hope Bell, I wasn’t able to attend. Of course, I’ve been taking photos for a while now, so I’ve probably got enough over a period of time to write a decent account of the bell from start to finish.

I almost missed the demolition of the Herbert Morris factory on Empress Road, but just managed to catch the tail end of it. Again, I’ve taken plenty of photos over the past couple of years, so I’ll post them in a blog sometime.

What else did I miss? Oh yes, the opening of the new exhibition at the Old Rectory, which showcases the work done by the Loughborough Archaeological and Historical Society, and in particular Brian Williams, in uncovering the building which you see today, trying to understand it, and trying to present it to the public. Oh, and I missed the art exhibition down at the parish church, when, amongst other things, they had a VR flythrough high up in the ceiling! And I missed the Old Rectory Community Day!

As if that weren’t enough, although I heard the Carillon playing yesterday, and I knew it was Saturday, it wasn’t until this morning that I realised yesterday was the anniversary of the opening of the Carillon – in 1923! It’s always lovely to hear the Carillon being played – and played so well!!

I must admit, sadly I didn’t linger long enough to take in what the carillonneur was playing, but I have recently come across the programme for a recital, which was performed by Eric Jordan (I’ve previously written about him on this blog), on Saturday April 12th, 1924, at 5.30 in the afternoon.

The programme was billed as being “Toll for the brave that are no more.” and included

1. Softly awakes my heart, by Saint Saens

2. i. Smilin’ through, by A. W. Penn and ii. Love sends a little gift roses, by Openshaw

3. Andante, by Couperin

4. March van Hartopp, by Degruytter (18th century)

5. Le cygnet (The Swan), by Saint Saens

6. Tempo di Gavotta, by Fesch

7. i. Come back to Erin, ii. Blue bells of Scotland, and iii. Drink to me only with thine eye

8. Berceuse de Jocelyn, by Godard

9. Song without words no.9, by Mendelssohn

Such a worthy concert could not be concluded without a rendition of God Save The King.

Interestingly, there were to be recitals throughout the Easter period, which were given by M. Robert Dierick, who was the Carillonneur in the city of Ghent, in Belgium.   

 

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Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

The copyright © of all content on this blog rests with me, however, you are welcome to quote passages from any of my posts, with appropriate credit. The correct citation for this looks as follows:

Dyer, Lynne (2025). [Post title]. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2025/07/carillon-recitals.html  [Accessed 27 July 2025]

Take down policy:

I post no pictures that are not my own, unless I have express permission so to do. All text is my own, and not copied from any other information sources, printed or electronic, unless identified and credited as such. If you find I have posted something in contravention of these statements, or if there are photographs of you which you would prefer not to be here, please contact me at the address listed on the About Me page, and I will remove these.

External Links:

By including links to external sources I am not endorsing the websites, the authors, nor the information contained therein, and will not check back to update out-of-date links. Using these links to access external information is entirely the responsibility of the reader of the blog.

Blog archive and tags:

If you are viewing this blog in mobile format, you will not be able to easily access the blog archive, or the clickable links to various topics. These can be accessed if you scroll to the bottom of the page, and click 'View Web Version'. Alternatively, there is also a complete list of posts, which when clicked will take you to the page you are interested in.

Searching the blog:

You can search the blog using the dedicated search box that appears near the top of the blog when viewed in the web version. Alternatively, you can search using your usual search engine (e.g. Bing, Google, DuckDuckGo etc.) by following this example:

site: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/ “Radmoor House”

NOTE – the words you’re actually looking for must be in “” and the first of these must be preceded by a space

Thank you for reading this blog.

Lynne

Bell Sunday

Well, today I learned that there is such a thing as Bell Sunday, which, according to the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers falls on the Sunday closest to St Dunstan’s Day, the latter, this year being 19th May. St Dunstan was a 10th century Archbishop of Canterbury, is the patron saint of bellringers, and as a skilled metalworker, was an early experimenter with bell casting. The celebration on Bell Sunday serves to recognise that bellringers add to the national soundscape, and contribute to the life of the church – summoning people to church for regular services, or for christenings, weddings, and funerals, or simply reminding people by their regular bellringing practice, of what day it is! Oh, and taking part in ringing contests!

A bellringer's essential

The ringing chamber at All Saints

At one time more or less in the centre of Loughborough, there were four Anglican churches, the Church of All Saints; Emmanuel; Holy Trinity, and St Peter’s. The bells of All Saints are well-documented, and there can be few who don’t know that the very reason we have the country’s last remaining dedicated bellfoundry is because the Taylor family came to Loughborough specifically to refurbish the bells of All Saints, in 1839. Indeed, it was actually part of the contract between the bellfounder and the church that the bells be cast in Loughborough, hence the Taylors setting up their bellfoundry initially on Pack Horse Lane, on land leased for 20 years. Things must have worked well for the bellfounders, because when that lease was up they set up a permanent factory on Chapman Street/Freehold Street, and have remained there ever since, making new bells, and repairing old ones.

I haven’t done too much digging around looking for information about our churches, so I have only found scant details about the bells in some of our town’s other Anglican churches. The statutory listing for Emmanuel church simply says: “[The] Tower has 3 light bell openings …”

A report of the consecration of the Holy Trinity church mentions everything from the Minton floor tiles to the ceilings of pitch pine; from the varnished pitch pine seating, to the Devonshire marble altar, but says nothing of the bells other than “A pretty turret contains three bells.” Ironically, the first incumbent at Holy Trinity was the former curate of All Saints, the Rev. E. Bell!

The bellcote at St Mary's Nanpantan

The description in the statutory listing for the church of St Peter’s, on Storer Road and Fearon Street is extensive! However, no mention of the actual bells, other than the sentence “Organ chamber to south has 2-light window and ashlar gabled bell-cote to side over vestry which has flat arched windows and curving parapet.”

Slightly further afield, is the church of All Saints at Thorpe Acre with Dishley, a church which was built in 1849 to replace the mediaeval church at Dishley. Sadly, on my brief search I’ve only found scant information, again in the statutory listing, which simply mentions the “Western bellcote.”

 

I’ve mentioned the mediaeval church at Dishley, but the summary one would expect to find in the statutory listing for this as an ancient monument says, “Not currently available for this entry.” Which is a little odd … It would appear, however, that while Dishley church might once have been a scheduled ancient monument, it appears it is now a Grade II listed building, which was listed on Monday 15th March 1965. The description associated with the entry makes for interesting reading, particularly the final sentence:

“East, north and south walls of ruined aisle less church, C12/C13; rubble stone with ashlar dressings. Triple lancet east window. North wall: round headed doorway with semi circular hoodmould, plank door. South wall (from east to west) lancet, blocked round headed doorway, ogee-headed lancet, base of porch. Interior has remains of piscina, sedilia, aumbry. Slate grave slabs including those to the Bakewell family C20 slate slab commemorating Robert Bakewell on north wall. Scheduled ancient monument.”

Today as I was walking through Queen’s Park, I was lucky enough to hear a different kind of bellringing – the sonorous sounds of our spectacular carillon played so beautifully by our wonderful carilloneure!! 

I also walked close to another bell that will hopefully soon be ringing (or will it be chiming?) – where there’s a bell, there’s hope!!

Hope Bell in Queen's Park

In the meantime, I mentioned Robert Bakewell above, which has prompted me to commemorate his life and work – but that’s a blogpost for another day!!   

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Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

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Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

The copyright © of all content on this blog rests with me, however, you are welcome to quote passages from any of my posts, with appropriate credit. The correct citation for this looks as follows:

Dyer, Lynne (2025). Bell Sunday. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2025/05/bell-sunday.html  [Accessed 18 May 2025]

Take down policy:

I post no pictures that are not my own, unless I have express permission so to do. All text is my own, and not copied from any other information sources, printed or electronic, unless identified and credited as such. If you find I have posted something in contravention of these statements, or if there are photographs of you which you would prefer not to be here, please contact me at the address listed on the About Me page, and I will remove these.

External Links:

By including links to external sources I am not endorsing the websites, the authors, nor the information contained therein, and will not check back to update out-of-date links. Using these links to access external information is entirely the responsibility of the reader of the blog.

Blog archive and tags:

If you are viewing this blog in mobile format, you will not be able to easily access the blog archive, or the clickable links to various topics. These can be accessed if you scroll to the bottom of the page, and click 'View Web Version'. Alternatively, there is also a complete list of posts, which when clicked will take you to the page you are interested in.

Searching the blog:

You can search the blog using the dedicated search box that appears near the top of the blog when viewed in the web version. Alternatively, you can search using your usual search engine (e.g. Bing, Google, DuckDuckGo etc.) by following this example:

site: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/ “Radmoor House”

NOTE – the words you’re actually looking for must be in “” and the first of these must be preceded by a space

Thank you for reading this blog.

Lynne