St Paul’s bells being restored in town
THE world famous 12 bells of St Paul’s Cathedral in London are going to fall silent and return to Loughborough so that they can be cleaned and restored.
But ‘Great Paul’ - the largest bell ever cast in the British Isles - whose case is on display in Queen’s Park, will not be returning.
The 62 centum hundred weight (cwt) ring of the bells is to be restored 140 years after Taylor’s Bellfoundry in Loughborough, cast and hung them in the cathedral’s north-western tower.
A jib and crane will be used to lift the bells out of the tower through the great circular belfry window.
Once at Loughborough they will be cleaned by gentle sand blasting and new ringing fittings will be manufactured and fitted.
The 1878 oak bell frame will be strengthened by the cathedral works department under the supervision of the cathedral architect and Taylor’s chief design engineer, and the ringing room is to be redecorated and conserved before the bells are returned and rehung.
Work to strip down the bell fittings and remove the bells will begin on Monday, January 15.
The bells are normally rung three times on a Sunday following services but last rang on New Year’s Day and have been silent since to allow for work to prepare them for removal.
The restoration marks only the third period when the bells will be silent for a significant period, following the two world wars and a period between 1925 and 1930 when the cathedral was shut for building work. They are due to be replaced in time for the 140th anniversary of their creation on November 1 this year.
David Potter, of John Taylor and Co and a member of the Bellfoundry Trust, told the Echo that it is still an “extremely prestigious” contract for the company to hold and is looking forward to the bells coming back to Loughborough.
He said that ‘Great Paul’ - which is housed in the south west tower of the cathedral and weighs and staggering 16 and a half tonnes - will not be returning to Loughborough just yet, but that restoration work on it will be taking place at a later date.
He said that along with two other sets of bells - including a service bell and a set of clock bells - it will remain in London.
He said: “The really exciting part will be when they come into Loughborough. It was an extremely prestigious contract when the company first was awarded it in 1878 and it still is now.”