• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team
  • HI folks the server that hosts the site completely died including the Hdd's and backups.
    Luckily i create an offsite backup once a week! this has now been restored so we have lost a few days posts.
    im still fixing things at the moment so bear with me and im still working on all images 90% are fine the others im working on now
    we are now using a backup solution

diamond jubilee bell 1897

Astoness

Astoness

TRUE BRUMMIE MODERATOR
Staff member
hi folks i was chatting to pete ex pat yesterday and he was telling me about this bell he has that was cast for queen victorias diamond jubilee 1897 but cant seem to find out any info on as such as who may have made it...unfortunately it has no makers mark so may prove difficult..pete bought it from a friend some 30 odd years ago along with the story that it came out of handsworth park when they demolished the old boat house...any ideas would be welcome...oh we have ruled out davis and hill bell makers who are still in pritchett st as they have replied back saying it is not one of theirs...pete you are very lucky to own this and i love the wooden surround you built for it..for the eagle eyed you will no doubt notice that the letter I is missing from the word jubilee..

cheers

lyn..


image.jpeg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi Lyn, did I tell you that the bell is 16 inches high and 16 inches diameter and weigh's three quarters of a hundredweight.

Regards Pete
 
hi pete yes you did..thats some size and weight..its just a shame there is no makers mark on it but maybe as the word jubilee is a letter missing if you will excuse the pun..it could have been a cast off and so they didnt bother with one...

lyn
 
I thought about that?, but the spelling back in those days was not great. ( not that mine is much better Ha Ha or LOL ) as I have found on the older census forms with family names also places and street names. as you must have found withe your own genealogy research there are some very funny spellings. any way as Dell Boy would say LUBLY JUBLY.... I still love it no mater how they spell JUBILEE.. After 125 years I would like to think the Bell was made on a Monday and some one in the casting shop had a bad spelling day ( LOL )

Regards Pete


Astoness said:
hi pete yes you did..thats some size and weight..its just a shame there is no makers mark on it but maybe as the word jubilee is a letter missing if you will excuse the pun..it could have been a cast off and so they didnt bother with one...

lyn
Click to expand...
 
oh yes pete and i am still having problems with the census papers..even if we do not find out anymore about the bell as you say you are proud to own it..if ever you want to off load it it will go lovely with my very old yates of birmingham pub table lol...

lyn
 
There was a small brass and bell foundry in Grove Lane Smethwick near where Mum was born but this was 1920, I don't know how long they were there before. It's the only one I've heard of. She used to say on cold days kids used to lean on the back wall to get warm. As she was born very close to the Birmingham border she always considered herself to be a Brummie!!
rosie.
 
Hi Lyn, Bit surprised that no one has given any feed back regarding the Bell, perhaps they were into the Olympics. Well now that they are over some one might have a look at this thread and have an idea as to it's maker !!!

See post #1


Regards pete
 
you are prob right there pete lol..anyhow i think what we need to do is try and find out how many bell makers there were in brum around that time..it would be a starting point..i do have some kellys directories on disc so will see what i can find out...

lyn
 
Lyn
It says see brassfounders, but then I couldn't find any of those marked as making bells.
 
ok thanks mike..this could prove difficult so far only ruling out davis and hill bell makers...will have to do a bit of googling and see what turns up..


lyn
 
Hi Lyn would there be any one in the birmingham chamber of commerce that might be able to help ???? why did the bell end up in Handsworth Park ( if it did ) was it a gift for the jubilee to B'ham ????....


Regards Pete
 
Lyn
Trouble is it may not have even been made in Brum. I did have a look at the 19th centruy newspapers. did not find anything (though it might still be there, only the search did not pick it up -some of the text is very unclear even to a human eye, never mind a computer's eye!). Did find mention of one bell, some years away from 1897. and this was a church bell, but was made in London
 
yes mike you are right about that and even if it was made in brum there cant be that many bell maker still trading..will keep googling..you never know..

lyn
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top