John Taylor & Co - founders of the world's finest bells

John Taylor & Co. continues a line of bell founding which has been unbroken since the middle of the 14th Century when Johannes de Stafford was active only 10 miles from the site of the present foundry.

From 1784 the business was operated by members of the Taylor family, and in 1839 it moved to Loughborough as a condition of a contract to recast the Parish Church bells. The Foundry was moved to its present site in Loughborough in 1859 and is now proud to operate the largest bell foundry in the world.

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ISCVE announces two online seminars for Annual Members’ Day

The Institute of Sound, Communications and Visual Engineers (ISCVE) is pleased to announce two online seminar presentations for its Annual Members’ Day. The online seminars are open to ISCVE members and non-members and will be presented by leading AV industry and Audio industry figures following the ISCVE’s annual general meeting.

The first presentation, taking place online on 10th March 2021 2:30-3:15pm, is titled ‘AV Over IP using NDI®’ and will be presented by Liam J Hayter, Senior Solutions Architect EMEA, NewTek. The presentation will be taking a look at how NDI® AV over IP technology can deliver next generation AV solutions, from meeting rooms to auditoriums, to TV Studios and Video Conferencing.

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Ducie Street Warehouse shortlisted for AJ Retrofit Awards 2021

The Ducie Street Warehouse is a vast red brick building of 7 stories high, looming over the Rochdale canal basin in Manchester. It originally belonged to the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway, and was used to store cotton bales shipped over from America, before they were sent down the canals to the mills of London. Manchester was specially chosen as a hub for the cotton trade because its famously damp weather conditions kept the raw cotton moist enough for milling later.

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New commissions keep heating specialist busy

It is turning out to be a busy New Year for specialist church heating contractor Mellor and Mottram and its managing director Stuart Mottram.

Fortunately, in these strange times, it doesn’t involve a great deal of travel as the three projects they are due to start imminently are within striking distance of the firm’s Stoke-on-Trent base.

Two of those projects are in churches that are centuries apart in their ages. St Alphege in Solihull, West Midlands (pictured), is a Grade One-listed building, parts of which have stood on the High Street site for over 800 years. It is a flourishing parish church, one of three in the C of E Parish of Solihull.

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Revolutionary Hinowa TeleCrawler 13 gets first UK buyer

Access Platform Sales has supplied the first groundbreaking Hinowa TeleCrawler 13 in the UK to access rental company Elavation.

The Hinowa TeleCrawler 13 is the first tracked spider platform in the world to have all-electric drive.

Access Platform Sales (APS), Hinowa's UK and Ireland authorised distributor, delivered the eco-friendly platform to Elevation's HQ in Wolverton, Milton Keynes.

Read more: Revolutionary Hinowa TeleCrawler 13 gets first UK buyer

Lightning protection and steeplejacking body passes third quarter century

This year marks the 75th anniversary of ATLAS, the body representing lightning protection companies and other access at height specialists. Its members have been at the forefront of the lightning protection and specialist access trades for many years and undertake access, inspection, repair and maintenance work on a range of structures – in particular churches and heritage buildings.

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Family stone company turn their skills to church and heritage sector

Weldon Stone are a long established and well respected stonemasonry company specialising in the repair, restoration and conservation of stone buildings both as main contractor and specialist subcontractor with over 200 years of combined experience in the field.

The company was founded in 1977 by father and son team Derrick and Peter Dunn at the Weldon Stone quarry near Corby in Northants and extracted the remaining rare and beautiful Weldon Stone whilst developing the stonemasonry side of the business.

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Hinowa platforms spearhead hirer's sustainability revolution

Pioneering sustainable access provider 4Hire has taken delivery of a second lithium electric Hinowa spider platform as it powers ahead with plans to create one of the UK's most eco-friendly plant and machinery fleets.

A lithium Hinowa Lightlift 15.70 Performance IIIS was the first machine on the order book two years ago as 4Hire pledged to make itself one of the most sustainable plant hire specialists in the UK.

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Victorian church embraces modern technology

The year is 1873, in the middle of Queen Victoria’s reign. William Gladstone is the Prime Minister of the day and Richard Benyon MP, then owner of Cranham Hall near Upminster in Essex, makes a generous offer to pay for the parish church to be rebuilt. The original parish church of All Saints’, built in the early 14th century, has fallen into a state of disrepair.

Many years earlier the selling of silverware and altar equipment had funded repairs to the timber structure but on this occasion a new building was required. The medieval church was demolished just after Christmas 1873 and a new stone church erected in its place. The result was a modern and welcoming Victorian building with a warm internal appearance which remains standing strong.

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Zoom into 2021 with ease – and MW mixers from KORG

Last year saw great changes in the way people communicate and interact. The speed at which the changes emerged is unprecedented and has transformed everyday life for many. Before April 2020, the meaning of the onomatopoeic word ‘Zoom’ meant nothing more than getting a move on; but since then, when anyone mentions ‘Zooming’ it’s most often associated with online video communication.

Read more: Zoom into 2021 with ease – and MW mixers from KORG

Thieves increasingly targeting historic properties, warns specialist insurer

Historic properties are being urged to take steps to prevent being victims of crime following a spate of thefts from churches and stately homes.

According to data from Ecclesiastical’s claims team over £400,000 worth of claims have been made relating to the theft of stone since 2015. Since 2016 the figure has doubled pointing to a worrying increase.

The warnings come as the UK’s National Intelligence Unit for Serious Organised Acquisitive Crime (OPAL) reported a spate of incidents in the theft of York Stone from properties in the North of England.

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It’s “All Aboard!” for a project with a difference

In January last year Fullers Finer Furniture were approached in connection with a unique project. All Aboard is an exciting collaboration between Edinburgh charity People Know How and Polwarth Parish Church in the city, aimed at running a canal boat from Polwarth Pontoon. The project is designed to benefit the local community in a variety of ways. Polwarth Church is located adjacent to the Union Canal, which runs from Edinburgh to Falkirk.

Read more: It’s “All Aboard!” for a project with a difference