Park closed for Bell installation

Tuesday, 3 September 2024 06:00

Artist's impression of how the Hope Bell will look in Queen's Park Credit: Charnwood Borough Council

Queen's Park in Loughborough is closed today (Tue 3rd September 2024) as the new Hope Bell is installed.

When it is completed in October, the Hope Bell will chime the hours as a tribute to the NHS and local community's efforts during the covid pandemic. It will also be a space for reflection to remember those lost in the pandemic.

Bells are synonymous with Loughborough as it is home to the last major bellfoundry in the UK, John Taylor & Co, which is fittingly making the Hope Bell on behalf of the Council.

The project is being funded by Loughborough Town Deal, which secured £16.9 million from the Government’s Towns Fund. The Town Deal is backing 11 projects in total which will bring in over £40 million of total investment.

Foundations for the Hope Bell have been put in place over the summer and on Tuesday, the main structure will be delivered to the park and construction will begin.

The Hope Bell will be 7.5 metres high. The bells will be supported by four steel pillars which symbolise people coming together, something that we were not able to do in the pandemic.

A band of gold-coloured aluminium will be wrapped around the top and a poem will be inscribed around the band.

The base will be made of Portland stone, a light-coloured high-quality stone which was also used for the construction of the nearby Carillon Tower.

On Tuesday, the pillars and bells will be installed. The metal structure will weigh around seven and a half tonnes.

The stone base will be added in the coming weeks before the area is landscaped. The installation is due to be completed by October and power will then need to be added to operate the bells to make them chime.

Cllr Anne Gray, the Council’s lead member for open spaces, said: “This is a key phase during the installation of the Hope Bell and it will really start to take shape before our eyes in Queen’s Park.

“It is going to be a wonderful addition to the park and will become a place where people can visit to remember loved ones.”

Cllr Jennifer Tillotson, the Council’s lead member for economic development, regeneration and town centres, said: “The Hope Bell will celebrate the town’s unique bell-making heritage and mark an important moment in our history.

“I am looking forward to seeing this next phase of its development.”

Martin Traynor OBE, Chair of the Loughborough Town Deal Board, said: “The Town Deal Board were delighted to support the Lanes and Links project and I am pleased a key element of the scheme, the Hope Bell, has reached this exciting stage.

The Lanes and Links project has received £669,000 through the Town Deal. The project also includes improving lighting and adding banners to Bleach Yard and the addition of information points in Queen’s Park.