Bell quest blog - note

I'm afraid that on this blog you will need to go to the end and work forward, beginning in the archive for 2006. I have not tried to outwit the blogger system this time. Hope you can follow it in the correct sequence.

Remembered!!

At last I have discovered someone who remembers the ringing of the bell. A lady who was at the school in the 1940s saw the recent newspaper story and I was able to speak to her. Known at the time as Thelma Sibley (now Totczyk) she remembers the bell being rung at the beginning and end of the school day. Her sister Pearl asked that the bell be rung specially for her on her 14th birthday in 1948. Thelma told me that she can hear the sound of the bell in her ears now!

All that now remains of this little tale is for me to have a sign made to place on the wall directly below the bell. It's in hand.

Further research

I thought the best way to obtain more information about the bell was through my local newspaper. Having covered the story about the school, a local reporter was pleased to take up the bell rescue tale. Time will tell if this will lead to more clues about the use of the bell during it's school years.

New home at last!

Well it's finally at its new home. Not quite as intended but it is up and it rings. I hired a diamond core drill to cut a 50mm hole in the 8 inch brick wall for the bell arm. I had intended to use all the old bolts but decided the top one was enough and fixed the remaining three parts of the frame with large screws. Recoated the frame with black metal paint but left the bell as it was, polished up with some autosol. Inside the garage it looks a bit crude. It can stay like that until I summon up the effort to paint the wooden block that acts a a large washer to secure the very long bolt which holds up the frame.
It seems a long time since I first spotted the bell. After the demolition of the building there have been a lot of enquiries about what happened to the bell. I may write a letter to my local newspaper to tell anyone interested where they can see the restored bell. But that can wait. The lawn needs mowing, and after all there are more things in life than bells. Aren't there?

The photos complete the tale of my bellquest - it was fun.

Blasted

I found a local blast cleaner. All parts back to bare metal. The bell itself has come up quite well. A good rub with fine wire wool and autosol and it begins to look like what is is - an old bronze bell. Now to recoating the frame beginning with a special primer. The only mark on the bell apart from '10' on the crown is shown in the photo. No idea what it signifies - yet.

Last rites

Walking past the old school today, this was all that remained. This was the day when I finally discovered the key dates during the life of the building:

1911 Official opening of the Lymington County Primary School in Cannon Street

1972 Closure of the school after relocation to a new school in Avenue Road, Lymington.

!972 - 1990 Building used as the area Education office by Hampshire County Council.

1994 - 2003 Area Library Headquarters

2003 - 2007 Meetings and library store followed by demolition in March/April.