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Towns Fund: Historical bell foundry gets further backing

Tom Pengilley Bell foundryTom Pengilley
The foundry uses traditional techniques and its bells are used all over the world

A project to save Britain's last traditional bell foundry has received a further £835,000 as part of a government scheme.

John Taylor & Co has been at the same site in Loughborough, Leicestershire, since 1859 but can trace its heritage back to the 14th Century.

The money - from the Towns Fund - will help restore the Grade II* listed foundry.

The project had already secured £3.5m of National Lottery funding.

'Heritage'

The Loughborough Bellfoundry Trust is restoring the foundry in Freehold Street.

Jonathan Morgan, the leader of Charnwood Borough Council - who also helps chair the Loughborough Town Deal Board - said he was "delighted" at the funding.

"As the last major bell foundry in the UK, it is vital we do everything we can to save it, not just for the town of Loughborough but also our nation's heritage," he said.

"The trust has done a wonderful job in securing a significant amount of funding from various sources, including the Town Deal, to save this iconic building."

Bell foundry
The Victorian buildings have been in need of repair for some time

The Loughborough site has cast more than 25,000 bells that are hung in more than 100 countries, including the largest church bell in Britain, Great Paul, which hangs in St Paul's Cathedral.

Its work has even entered popular culture - the bells from St Thomas's Church, on Fifth Avenue, New York, heard on The Pogues' and Kirsty McColl's Christmas anthem Fairytale of New York, were cast at the foundry.

Getty Images Kirsty McColl and Shane MacGowanGetty Images
Bells made at the foundry make an appearance on the Christmas hit Fairytale of New York

In June 2021, the government confirmed Loughborough had successfully secured an offer of £16.9m, to be spent on a variety of projects.

The £5.4m project to restore the foundry will help improve visitor access and the on-site museum, the bellfoundry trust says.

Museum director Dr Chrissie Van Mierlo said: "[This] is a real passion project that's been many years in the making.

"These vital funds have given our plans an enormous boost.

"We are incredibly proud of our town's industrial past, so we are honoured and privileged to play a key role in its future."

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