Loughborough Bellfoundry Museum

About the museum

The museum stands on the site of John Taylor & Co, which moved to Loughborough in 1839 and opened one of the world's largest purpose-built bellfoundries here in 1859. Bells cast on the site hang in towers in more than 100 countries, and the Grade II* listed foundry is still a working factory. The museum was founded in 1986 by Alan Berry, a former managing director of the company, who had seen growing demand for visits, and Charnwood Borough Council supported the first project.

In 2009 Taylor's went into administration and the future of the museum was uncertain. The foundry was saved by a group of bellringers, and the museum became the independent Bell Foundry Collection Limited with investment from Alan and Chris Berry. Since 2016 it has been run by the Loughborough Bellfoundry Trust, a charity set up to protect the historic buildings, archive and collections.

With a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant, the buildings were repaired and the museum was renovated in 2023 and 2024, adding two interactive galleries on the art and science of bellfounding. The relaunched attraction opened in autumn 2024 and the site was taken off the Heritage at Risk register. The museum won a Leicestershire and Rutland Heritage Forum Museum of the Year award in 2023. Visitors can see the museum on its own or join a guided tour of the working foundry, including tours with a live bell or iron casting.

Highlights

• The UK's last major working bellfoundry, in use since 1859
• Two interactive galleries on the art and science of bellfounding
• Guided tours of the Victorian factory, including casting tours
• Casting hall viewing platform reached by lift
• Museum of the Year award from the Leicestershire and Rutland Heritage Forum, 2023

Permanent exhibitions

• Interactive museum galleries – Two galleries with hands-on exhibits and stories that explain the craft and science of making and tuning bells.
• Guided tour of Taylor's Bellfoundry – A guided walk through the working Victorian bellfoundry that follows the bell-making process, with live bell or iron casting on casting tours.

Founded

1986

Operated by

Loughborough Bellfoundry Trust

Admission & discounts

Museum entry is £5 for adults and children aged 12 and over, and all museum tickets are annual passes that allow unlimited return visits for one year. Visitors do not need a ticket to use the gift shop. Children must be aged 9 or older to join a tour.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum entrance is on Cobden Street. It has a manual outer door and an automatic sliding inner door, and a mobile kerb ramp is available because the pavement has no dropped kerb. A lift takes visitors to the first floor, where the accessible toilet and the casting hall viewing platform are located. Wheelchair users can take part in the tours, but mobility scooters are not allowed indoors and a tour involves about 90 minutes of walking. There is no dedicated car park. A detailed accessibility guide is published on the website. Assistance dogs are welcome; other animals are not allowed.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

The museum welcomes all ages and has hands-on displays in its galleries. Guided tours are for children aged 9 and over. Pushchairs can use the lift to the casting hall viewing platform, and the toilets have baby-changing facilities. School visits are available.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in a residential area. Despite the address on Freehold Street, the entrance is on Cobden Street. A pub nearby is also called The Bell Foundry, so use postcode LE11 1AR or Freehold Street in a satnav. Queen's Park, with the Charnwood Museum and the Carillon Tower and War Memorial Museum, is about 0.7 miles away.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop

There is no cafe, but tea, coffee, soft drinks and biscuits are offered, and the town centre with its cafes and restaurants is about a 5-minute walk away. The gift shop sells books on bells and other souvenirs, and there is an online shop. Accessible gender-neutral toilets with baby-changing facilities are in the museum.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit