Taylors Eayre & Smith Ltd

Taylors Eayre & Smith Ltd (formerly trading as John Taylor Bellfounders, John Taylor & Co and other names), based in Loughborough in the United Kingdom, is the world's largest working bell foundry.

The company manufactures bells for use in clock towers, change ringing peals, chimes, and carillons. In 2005, Taylor's merged with Eayre & Smith Ltd (bellhangers) to form Taylors Eayre & Smith Ltd. [ [http://www.taylorbells.co.uk/pages/news/news-merger.html Foundry Merger] accessed 20 June 2007]

The site has a museum of bells, the only one of its kind in the UK.

History

The present company is part of a line of bellfounders dating back to Johannes de Stafford in the 14th century. [ [http://www.taylorbells.co.uk/pages/history.html Foundry History] accessed 20 June 2007] The Taylor family became involved in 1784 and a foundry was established on the current site in 1839. They were the first bellfounder to adopt "true-harmonic" tuning in the late 19th century. [ [http://www.hibberts.co.uk/history1.htm The Sound of Bells] accessed 20 June 2007] The foundry is based in buildings on Freehold Street.

Notable bells

In 1881 Taylor's cast the largest bell in Britain, "Great Paul", for St Paul's Cathedral in London, weighting 17,002 kg or more than 17 tons.

Many churches across the world have used bells cast at Taylor's Bell Foundry, including:

* Liverpool Cathedral bourdon bell "Great George", at 14,900 kg or more than 14 long tons 13 cwt, it is the second largest bell in Britain. [ [http://www.cccbr.org.uk/dove/detail.php?searchString=Liverpool&numPerPage=10&searchAmount=%3D&searchMetric=cwt&sortBy=Place&sortDir=Asc&DoveID=LIVERPL Liverpool Cathedral Bells] accessed 20 June 2007]
* Carlisle Cathedral, 13 bells
* Loughborough Carillon, (War Memorial) 47 bell carillon
* Monument, Canberra, 53 bell carillon
* Manchester Town Hall, 23 bell carillon
* Edith Adamson Memorial Carillon, 25 bell carillon, Newcastle Civic Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne
* Baird Carillon, 55 bell carillon, Burton Tower, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
* Kibbey Carillon, 53 bell carillon (1963), Washington National Cathedral, Washington, D.C., USA
* Sather Carillon, Sather Tower original (1917) 12 bell chime by Taylor (later expanded to carillon), University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
* WWII Memorial Carillon, 53 bell carillon, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
* Stanton Memorial Carillon, 50 bell carillon (originally a 10 bell chime in 1899, expanded in 1920, 1954, 1967), Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
* Luray Singing Tower, 47 bell carillon (1937), Luray, Virginia, USA
* Wellesley College Carillon, 32 bell carillon, (1931, last enlarged in 1990), Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA
* Duke Chapel carillon, 50 bell carillon (1932), Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA

Bell Master

The current Bell Master is Andrew D Higson.

References

External links

* [http://www.taylorbells.co.uk/ Company website]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/leicester/content/panoramas/taylors_bellfounders_360.shtml Panorama of the foundry]
* [http://www.hibberts.co.uk/taylhist.htm History of the Taylor family]