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A key milestone in the refurbishment of the Guildhall clock tower in Portsmouth will be reached on Monday 27 October 2008 when the bells are removed from the clock tower for restoration.
This is the first time the bells have been removed from the clock tower since they were installed when the Guildhall was built in 1889.
Work on the scaffolding and landing deck, needed to gain access to the tower, has now been completed ready for the removal of the five bells, the largest of which weighs some four tonnes and is over 2 metres in diameter at its base.
At 2.00am Monday morning, contractor Mansell Construction Services Limited will commence sealing off Guildhall Square in preparation for a trackway system to be laid across it. This will protect the surface when the 160 Tonne crane that will lower the bells to the ground arrives at 07.30 and moves into position.
Between 10.15 and 12.45 the bells will be lowered onto a lorry for transportation to the Loughborough bell foundry of Taylors Eayre & Smith for refurbishment and retuning.
Substantial work will be undertaken whilst the bells are away including replacing access staircases and intermediate floors. This will ensure safe future access to the bells, chiming mechanism and clock for routine maintenance.
The bells are scheduled to return to the clock tower in January 2009 and the overall project is to be completed at the end of March 2009, some eight years after the bells ceased chiming.
Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson, Leader of Portsmouth City Council said “This is a major moment in the refurbishment of the Guildhall Clock Tower. We are all looking forward to hearing the Pompey Chimes ring out across the city next year.”
Portsmouth City Council
Guildhall Square
Portsmouth
Hampshire, PO1 2BG
023 9283 4092
general@portsmouthcc.gov.uk