A couple living in a 180-year-old schoolhouse in East Lancashire have been granted permission to reinstall the original bell.
The Old School in Newton-in-Bowland was disestablished as a school in 1967 and has been in residential use since then.
Now occupied by Steven and Tracey Boswell, the couple had managed to track down the original bell and wanted to “restore the former appearance of the building.”
The plans have been welcomed by neighbours, saying Steven and Tracey should be proud of what they’ve done to keep the building maintained and historic.
The response said: “The proposal to re-hang the original bell in the school building is welcomed.
"The current bell cote looks empty, and having the bell in place would improve the appearance of an already beautifully maintained historic building.
“The owners should be rightfully proud of what they have achieved in keeping The Old School both useable and historically sensitive.
“The fact they have sourced the original bell for this is fabulous, adding authenticity to the completion of the project.”
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The Old School bears a large date stone over the front doorway recording that it was built as ‘Newton National School’, and erected in 1842.
National Schools were built with a combination of funding from local and national subscriptions, supplemented by grants from the National Society for Promoting Education of the Poor in the Principles of the Established Church, which was set up by senior members of the Church of England, to counter the efforts of non-conformist or non-sectarian schools.
In 1952, the Minister for Education approved the plan to close Newton School. The school continued beyond this until 1967 when it was sold and converted into a dwelling the following year.
A heritage statement submitted to Ribble Valley Borough Council said: “The applicants have made significant progress to seek out the original bell and to recover this.
“The proposal is to carry out only minimal cleaning to this, retaining and preserving the naturally aged patina as the final finish.
“A replica clapper to replace that lost over time will be forged to suit.
“Installation of the bell will require restoration of the missing elements of the rotational bar and roller bearing used to support and rotate the bell.”
To read the plans in full, visit the council’s planning website.
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