The UK’s last Bellfoundry, casting bells in Loughborough since 1839, follow us for craftmanship and current projects. This is a page to spread news about recent and current projects undertaken by Taylors and to provide a focal point for related discussion and requests for information. A Brief History-
The genesis of the company lies with the apprenticeship as a bellfounder of the very first Taylo
r, Robert. By 1784, Robert is in charge of the foundry at St Neots. His sons join the company and in 1821 they move the foundry to Oxford. In 1838 the first John Taylor recast the bells of Loughborough Parish Church - it was stipulated in the contract that the bells must be cast in Loughborough. John Taylor moved his foundry to Loughborough and the company has been there ever since! Taylors have been on their current site since 1859. In 1878 they cast a distinctive ring of 12 bells for St Pauls Cathedral in London with a tenor of over 3 tons, then 3 years later cast "Great Paul" for them, still the largest bell in the UK at 16 3/4 tons. The late 19th century sees Taylors begining to experiment with the harmonic tuning of bells. It took a few goes at getting it right, but once perfected the Taylors Five-Part Harmonic system lead to an explosion in business, and work all across the UK casting new peals of bells for churches and cathedrals, and the rehanging of many other peals of bells. Taylors have also played a large part in the spread of Carillons in the UK - from the very first one ever installed in the UK, at our works in Freehold Street (sadly removed during WWII) to the carillon created in 2009 at York Minster, we have a wealth of experience with this remarkable instrument.
