An historic bell made in Cornwall almost 400 years ago has taken pride of place in the roof of a new nursery.

Members of the Duchy of Cornwall’s design, build and project management teams gathered together on the construction site of the new facility at Nansledan in Newquay to hear the first chimes ring out from the fascinating piece of Cornish heritage.

The bell was cast in 1631 by Robert Pennington of Bodmin, one of the founders of a family-run casting firm responsible for the creation of hundreds of bells throughout Cornwall and Devon between 1607 and 1819.

The Pennington family were known for their expertise and the bell is marked with ‘RP’ for Robert Pennington.

Few other details about this particular bell’s history are known. Its exact origins – when and where it was hung – remain a mystery.

It was bought years ago by a Somerset-based professional bell hanger who found it in a salvage yard and kept it as part of his collection.

Nanseldan’s commercial manager Pat Wilkins came across it during a nationwide search for a bell to fit the nursery’s tower.

Pat said: “I’d said to this bell hanger in Somerset that we needed a bell that was a certain size and he said he’d got this particular one that we could have.

“He knew it was a Pennington and he liked the idea that it was going back to Cornwall and that it was going to be part of a nursery building.

“It was certainly a lucky find. It looks the part and sounds great. It couldn’t have worked out better.”

The centuries-old bell was in surprisingly good condition and hasn’t had to have much repair work done before being hung in its new position.

The bell has been hung in the specially-made tower on top of Nansledan’s purpose-built nursery.

Because it’s so old, the bell will ring out only on special occasions, ensuring that the sound of the chimes will be an extra-special treat for the nursery children, staff and surrounding residents and businesses in Nansledan, which is being developed by the Duchy of Cornwall as an extension of Newquay.

Peter James, project manager for Duchy of Cornwall, hung the bell before Nansledan’s masterplanning architect Hugh Petter was given the honour of striking the first notes.

“I felt very privileged to do so,” said Hugh, adding that the nursery building has been designed to have a bell and this one was the perfect fit, in every sense.

“The fact that this is an historic, Cornish bell feels very right and proper,” said Hugh. “I’m delighted it’s found such a good new home. It’s lovely that this new community has this piece of history on such a prominent building.”

Peter said: “We’re thrilled to have been able to bring this bell back to Cornwall almost four centuries after it was first cast and we look forward to hearing it ring out over Nansledan on special occasions in the future.”

Nowadays, most bells are usually rung using an electromagnetic hammer but it was agreed that using a manual system on certain occasions would be more appropriate for such an ancient item.

Chris Braley, the project manager at Nansledan, said: “It’s not a bell that’s going to ring out every day.

“It’s just nice to know there’s this important piece of history up there. And with the scaffolding around the bell tower now removed it is ready for everyone to see in all its glory.”

The team at Nansledan would love to find out more about the history of the Robert Pennington bell.

lIf anyone can shed any light on where the bell might have been hung in the county, please contact the Duchy of Cornwall by emailing [email protected]