February 2017

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East life Lester (master bellfounder from 1738) who had this part built. It would be nice to have a conversation with him. He would recognise most of it.” Then the gentle reverie was gone and Alan returned to the present moment, adding, “It’s a business,” in phlegmatic summation. “Our business runs counter to the national economy,” he continued. “If the economy goes down and unemployment rises, we start to get busy. Last year was our busiest in 30 years, an increase of 27% on the previous year. Similarly, the 1920s were very busy.” I was mystified by this equation, but Alan has a plausible theory. “Bell projects take a long time, so churches commit to new bells when the economy is strong and then there is no turning back. We are just commencing work on a new peal of bells for St Albans after 43 years of negotiation. That’s an example of the time scale we are working on – at least ten years between order and delivery is normal. My greatgrandfather visited the church in Langley in the 1890s and told them the bells needed rehanging in a new frame. They patched them. My grandfather said the same thing in the 1920s. They patched them. My father told them again in the 1950s and I quoted for the job in the 1970s. We completed the order in 1998.” Alan broke into a huge smile of wonderment at the nature of his world and it made me realise how important the continuity between the generations must be, so I asked him if there was 8 LOVEEAST pressure exerted between father and son to keep the foundry going. “My great-grandfather never expected the business would outlive him. He had three sons and the sale of the business was arranged, but my grandfather refused to sign the contract, so the other brothers left and he took over. My grandfather ensured his sons had good jobs and even my father wasn’t convinced the business could succeed, so he studied foundry technology for four years at every foundry in the south – thinking he could work for them – but every single one of those has now closed.” Then Alan looked out the window again, gazing forward into time. “As a master bellfounder, you never retire. We go on until we die. My grandfather, my father and my uncle all died of a heart attack at 80.” The implications of Alan’s conclusion are startling for him personally, even though he has many years to go before 80. “You’re a very eloquent man,” I said in sober recognition, “No, I’m not!” he retorted cheekily. “You have such interesting things to say,” I replied lamely, “No, I don’t!” he persisted gamely, obstinately raising his eyebrows. Nevertheless, Alan’s life as a bellfounder is remarkable to me and maybe to you too. Seeing his life in comparison to his predecessors, Alan embraces the patterns that prescribe his existence, for better or worse, and his personal mindset is the result of particular circumstances, the outcome of four generations of bellfounding. Alan has my greatest respect for his immodest devotion to bells. LoveEast thanks the Gentle Author, creator and writer of spitalfieldslife.com, for kindly sharing this interview with us. The beautiful photos of the bells are courtesy of John Claridge, johnclaridgephotographer. com and are reproduced from his book EAST END published by Spitalfields Life Books. Image: johnclaridgephotographer.com
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February 2017

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