England’s largest church bell to be rung at St Paul’s thanksgiving service
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On Friday 3 June, royal family members will gather at St Paul’s Cathedral for a Service of Thanksgiving in celebration of the Queen’s 70-year reign.
While the firm has announced that the Duke of York and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Trooping the Colour flypast, reports indicate that they may be present at the thanksgiving service, which is not open to the public.
On Monday, it was announced that the Archbishop of Canterbury will miss Friday’s service because he has tested positive for Covid-19.
Lambeth Palace confirmed that Justin Welby will not preach the sermon at St Paul’s Cathedral because the 66-year-old has been suffering from mild pneumonia since last week. He said he was “deeply saddened” to miss the event.
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, will deliver the sermon in his place.
The service will include Bible readings, anthems, prayers and congregational hymns to express thanks for the monarch’s service.
Also during the event, Great Paul, the largest church bell in the country, will be rung.
When was ‘Great Paul’ made and what is its significance?
The bell is housed in the cathedral’s southwest tower and weighs approximately 16.5 tonnes.
The chiming mechanism of Great Paul is broken, which means that it does not ring every day as intended, but can be rung manually for services.
Great Paul was cast by John Taylor & Co bell foundry in 1881, according to London.lovesguide, a website dedicated run by Dickon Love, a bellringer in the City of London.
The bell was rung for the first time in Loughborough in March 1882.
It has since rung out on a number of historic occasions, including Winston Churchill’s state funeral, the Queen’s coronation and the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
Great Paul fell silent in the 1970s due to a broken mechanism, and a major restoration took place in 2018. Carried out by its original makers, the bell was transported to Loughborough for cleaning and refitting.
The restoration was completed last year. This week’s Thanksgiving Service will mark the first royal occasion in which Great Paul has been rung following the repairs.
