Seven Brighstone ringers travelled to Whitechapel Bell Foundry last Friday (3rd February) to watch their two new bells being cast.

This was probably the penultimate casting day before its closure in May to be made at the foundry, which has been at the present site since 1738, the bells are about 3cwt but the exact weight of the new bells won’t be known until after tuning.

A steel bell frame is also being engineered which will take one of the existing 6 bells plus the two new bells, again possibly the last frame to be made at the present Whitechapel site.

The augmentation project was given more urgent impetus recently by the announcement of the Whitechapel foundry closing its factory shortly and is being funded by a grant from the Society for the Preservation of Isle of Wight Church Bells together with local funding from the ringing community.

My thanks to Steve Noyes for information and Steve and Rachel Ruszczyk  for permission to use the photographs.