'Great Bell of Tong' to be repaired after virus delay

The bell was last brought down and recast in 1892, said Taylors, of Loughborough

A historic church bell in Shropshire is on its way to be repaired after being silenced during the coronavirus crisis.

The so-called Great Bell of Tong was removed and placed on the nave of St Bartholomew's Church in March.

It sits on an old wooden headstock which is being replaced with a cast iron one by Taylor Bells.

The company was arranging to bring special lifting equipment to the 15th Century church when the coronavirus lockdown began.

Minister-in charge, the Reverend Pippa Thorneycroft, said workers from the Loughborough firm had come to collect the bell earlier.

She said they had had the "nightmare" task of carrying the two-and-a-half tonne bell through the church's small west door and up a slope, but were an experienced team.

Mrs Thorneycroft said it was the "largest swung bell" in Shropshire and the ninth largest in the country.

"It makes a huge booming noise, you certainly know what it is when you hear it," she said.

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The bell sat inside the locked church for nearly three months, but has attracted visitors since the church reopened for private prayer two weeks ago.

"I know at the weekend some people brought their grandchildren as it is something we won't get to see again in our lifetime," Mrs Thorneycroft said.

The original bell was given to the church in 1518 by Sir Henry Vernon, said Taylors, which is carrying out the work. It was last brought down and recast by the same firm in 1892.

The Reverend Pippa Thorneycroft said hundreds of people had taken part in live-streamed services organised by the vicar of Shifnal during lockdown