The School Bell

2 September 2023

Sitting in my fire place is a brass hand bell with a polished mahogany handle.

It originally belonged to the head teacher at St Peters Junior School on Storer Road in Loughborough. On the closure of that school the bell passed to St. Peters Sunday School, as they were using the same premises. The safe keeping of the bell was the responsibility of Mrs. E. Kynnersley, one of the principal Sunday school teachers.

The bell found its next home with Mrs. K’s son Fred, and ultimately, with Fred and my aunt Kath, when they were subsequently married. The bell moved to Melton Mowbray, Grimsby and Kings Lynn, before finishing up in Kenilworth when my uncle retied from the Westminster Bank.

Sadly, they both passed away and I was offered the bell as part of their estate. I am pleased to say that it now resides in my lounge and is still capable of making a very compelling sound.

During the Covid 19 epidemic, the population of our country were encouraged to go out into streets at certain times to clap and bang in support of the NHS. As you might expect, we took our brass bell into the front garden, and joined in with the entire road.

With a renewed purpose: the bell was sounding out, the bell was back in business!

David Taylor