For whom the bell tolls: hunt for missing piece of Shrewsbury’s industrial history

Quest to restore sound that called child workers to Flaxmill Maltings building, which paved way for modern high-rises

For almost 200 years, the bell tolled to mark the start and end of the working day at one of the UK’s most remarkable industrial sites – but it vanished when the buildings became derelict in the late 1980s or early 90s.

As English Heritage prepares to welcome visitors to the Flaxmill Maltings building in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, a hunt for the missing bell has been launched.