Signs Of The Chimes

On Saturday, I wandered round at the fete, ringing my old school bell and calling "StoryTime in the Tent in Ten Minutes!" The bell attracted plenty of comment and it was very satisfying to swing it and ring it as I walked along.
Bells are very much in the news this week.
There's only one working bell foundry left in England now- Taylors of Loughborough. Last week, the bells from St Pauls Cathedral travelled up the M1, to be refurbished there.
These bells, which have been rung for many great occasions of State - the Coronation, Churchill's funeral, and Princess Diana's wedding, and others - needed a bit of TLC.
They were originally cast at the Loughborough Foundry in 1878

Don't they look splendid?
Meanwhile in other bells news....
Eighteen months ago, I lamented the closure and sale of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry.
It seemed a dreadful thing that this piece of history should fall into the hands of developers.

The 'Gentle Author' of the Spitalfields Life blog explained more last week. She said
Last June, the building changed hands, sold first by bell founders Alan & Kathryn Hughes for £5.1 million to East End property developer Vince Goldstein who resold it on the same day to Raycliff Capital, the company of the American plutocrat Bippy Seigal, for £7.9 million. Subsequently, Raycliff have acquired two additional sites at the rear of the bell foundry and plan to redevelop the entire location as an upmarket boutique hotel with the foundry itself becoming a restaurant.

This sounds pretty dreadful, but there is hope- read what the GA says here. I do hope they are able to preserve this wonderful place for future generations.