Bells and a new Quiz

Bells a discontinued line ? There are or were two large bell foundries in GB, The Whitechapel Foundry in London and Taylors of Loughborough. (Remember the novel the 7 Taylors?) Now it seems Taylors are in administration with a large debt though they may be saved at the last minute. They were founded as far back as the 14th century and produced in 1862 the largest bell in the country, Great Paul of St.Pauls Cathedral, weighing in at 16and a half tons. It sounds daily at lpm. The inscription on it reads (English version, original in Latain) Woe unto me if I preach not the Gospel Whitechapel was founded in 1570. The earlist bells still ringing in England are St James, Lisset in Yorkshire Wolds dating from 1254 and possibly a little earlier St Botolph's Hardham in Sussex. It is a difficult task in creating bells and a craft handed on from generation to generation to be able to tune them perfectly. The techniques are almost unchanged since the beginning. David Cole of Taylors has been working on tuning for 36 years and can tune a bell to l00th of a semi tone. The problem is that Taylors are in administration since the Elf and Safty mob insisted on replacing the foundry roof recently, and they have run out of cash. (note. they may have been saved but I have not been able to check this). Poetry and bells go together. ~Gerald Manley Hopkins writes
Each hung bells Bow/swing finds tongue to fling out broad thy name. ie They are created things which proclaim God's glory.
We could think too of Grey's elegy in a Coutry Churchyard.
The bell that tolls the knell of parting day.
Or perhaps look at John Betjamin who wrote an autobiographical poem Summoned by Bells
This quotation however is from On hearing the Full Peal of Ten Bells from Christ ~Church, Swindon.
Your peal of ten ring over then this town
Ring on my men, nor ever ring them down
Hear how the pealing through the louvres rolls
now birth and death reminding bells ring clear
Loud: under planes and ever changing gear.
and again in Wantage Bells
Now with the bells through the apple bloom Sunday-ly Sounding
And the prayers of the nuns in their chapel gloom, us all surrounding
Where the brook flows
Brick walls of rose
send on the motionless meadows the bell notes resonding.

Somewhat less marvellous, here is my ode to the passing the bell industry. I estimate that if Taylors go down, Whitechapel itself may also fail in this recession and then what ?
They are part and parcel of our lives, our culture , our being.

Taylors of Loughborough in administration !
What a disaster for the nation !
No more will its bells be heard to sound
Quelling the noise of the traffic around.

So no more can our great bells ring
through season all from summer to spring
soon our countries bells will cease
while doth traffic round increase
That marvellous sound of the Carillon
No longer now can carry on.
From the collected poems of Mildew, Vol l no 2.
Having read this rubbish, now you can turn your attention to this weeks quiz
How might Toby go to Central Southern English Cathedral accompanied by a sinful Israelite King (c 700BC) and a 16th/17th century italian cardinal (who was involved with Galileo), all this to refresh himself ? And why might the visit help his computing skills, yet at the same time might involve his being shot at ?
Now you might easily find the names but you will almost certainly not know about the Italian Cardinal but a call to the museum of London might help you if you can work out the connection of the other items. I have personally seen the Italian Cardinal in the results of a dig at the ruins of Bermondsey Abbey in London, now in store I think at this museum. Londiniensis might particularly find the answer helpful.
Next posts Monday Wednesday both pre prepared then hopefully something late on Friday.