Why have city bells fallen silent?

Hundreds of thousands of strikes have left their mark on the Council House bells

"Little John has struck the hours over Nottingham, since it was put in, about 3.8 million times."

Experts and specialists have gathered to start a once-in-two-generations restoration of the clock and bells, which have dominated the centre of Nottingham since 1928.

Wayne Francis is part of the team giving the Council House's clock - including all 10.5 tonnes of the Little John bell - its first full service since 1978, in a £60,000, two-month project.

Specialist clock restorer Mr Francis said some people complained about the noise from bells but "Nottingham is one of the few clocks I look after that if it goes silent, there is an uproar".

Wayne Francis looks after more than 150 large clocks but said Nottingham was his favourite

Mr Francis, the director of Clockwise Restorations, said the clock was made by Nottingham company G&F Cope, which was in business from 1845 to 1984.

"This is a Nottingham clock and three men from Cope's took nine months to build it and it has worked for 97 years.

"It's such an achievement and the clock deserves to be preserved.

"I have 150-200 church clocks on my books that I service and look after but the best one is this in Nottingham and I am proud to look after it," he said.

Replacement parts for the clock mechanism have to be specially made

The approach of the clock's centenary and 50th anniversary of last major service led the city council to commission Mr Francis - who routinely maintains the clock - to oversee the work.

"The thing is the parts," he said. "For a clock that was made in 1928, you can't go and buy parts for it, you have to have them made.

"There are a couple of Nottingham companies we are using to make those parts and you have to get it right.

"You hear these stories of someone moving to a village and complains about the church clock striking through the night and wants it silenced.

"Nottingham is one of the few clocks I look after that if it goes silent there is an uproar and everyone asks 'what has happened to Little John?'"

The sound of clock's bell has been a feature of Nottingham for decades

There are five bells in the tower, with Little John - the fifth heaviest bell in the UK with a E-flat tone claimed as the deepest in the country - the most famous.

Despite their substantial size, they are still susceptible to damage.

Mr Francis said: "To give you an idea of why that wear has occurred - I just worked it out - that Little John has struck the hours over Nottingham, since it was put in, about 3.8 million times."

The job of checking on these has been given to John Taylor Bell Foundry of Loughborough, the company which originally cast them.

Simon Adams, from the foundry, said: "We are going to change the bell pads, overhaul the bell bolts and rotate the bells so that the hammers can strike on fresh, unworn parts of the bell.

"Some of the connections where the bells bolt to the headstocks need attention where it has been attacked by the weather.

"We are very proud of these bells, it is the deepest clock chime in the country and it is a great pleasure to be involved in the work."

A 45ft (13.7m) glass dome under the clock and bells would make removal almost impossible

Another local company involved is Nottingham Electrical Transmissions, which is overhauling the link from the clock to the bells.

Neil Markham from the firm said: "It's a major thing, people will want to get it back as soon as possible.

"Our job is to get the gearbox out, strip it down, refurbish it and hopefully put it back so it will last another 97 or more years.

"[The mechanism] is the sort of thing made for civic buildings, so they are made one at a time to suit the individual job itself.

"Although the company would have made two or three a year, the specifics of this one would be unique."

The team knows they have to get the work right now before any serious problems emerge.

Mr Francis said: "A 45ft (13.7m) glass dome was built underneath the clock and bells.

"So the logistics of getting them out to do any major works is near impossible."