Bell rings out to end century of silence

Liverpool’s Town Hall bell will soon be ringing out across the city after being silent for 100 years.

New Year's Eve will hear the return of the bell, known as ‘Little Ben’, which is located beneath the Town Hall’s impressive dome. The bell is thought to have been silenced when structural alterations were carried out on the dome early in the 20th Century.

But now, Liverpool’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Mike Storey has requested that the bell be repaired and heard again to welcome in the New Year.

Councillor Storey said: "The Town Hall bell is a hidden treasure which has remained unused for a century. As soon as I heard about the bell I pledged to bring it back into use for the city. There are various theories into how it fell into disrepair but the most important thing is that it will be brought back into use and its distinctive chimes will ring out on New Year."

Engineers began work on repairs to the bell last month and also the Town Hall’s famous ‘Rogers’ clock, which is the only known surviving example of the work of Rogers of Liverpool, which dates back to 1883.

Built in 1754, the Town Hall is the oldest of Liverpool’s public buildings and stands in a dominant position in the centre of the city, where Dale Street becomes Water Street.

As the Town Hall bell tolls to end a century of silence, Liverpool waves goodbye to a very eventful year. The city has marked and celebrated many anniversaries and significant events in recent times, and this year was no exception. Here are just a few of the landmark occasions in 2009:

In March, the new £22m Liverpool-Leeds canal link was opened, which allows narrow boats to now pass across the Pier Head for the first time in 100 years.

Victims of the Hillsborough disaster were remembered in April at the 20th anniversary memorial service held at Anfield. A two-minute silence was observed across the city as a mark of respect for the 96 Liverpool fans who lost their lives at Hillsborough in 1989.

Arthur Guinness, the man behind the famous Irish stout, Guinness, was toasted in style in September as Liverpool helped celebrate Guinness’s 250th birthday. Bars and pubs across the city raised their glasses to the iconic creamy black stuff on 'Arthur's Day'.

October welcomed the arrival of the Royal Navy’s HMS Illustrious as part of Fly Navy 100, which celebrated 100 years of flying in the Royal Navy. A fly past of 40 naval aircraft and a visit from the Duke of York formed part of the occasion.

The world's largest cruise liner, Queen Mary 2, also visited Liverpool as part of its fifth birthday celebrations. The famous Cunard Queen liners had their first visit to Liverpool in 1990 when Queen Elizabeth 2 came to the city to mark the company’s 150th anniversary.

The 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II was remembered during Liverpool’s annual Remembrance service in November. The service was a fitting tribute to past servicemen and women and those serving in the present day armed forces.