Old church bell heading down under

It once rang out high above Black Country rooftops to celebrate occasions for parishioners arriving at a 19th century church.

But after decades gathering dust, a small church bell is making a big journey Down Under after being given a new lease of life.

Historians in Western Australia were put in touch with parishioners at Christ Church, in Coseley, who were trying to find a new home for their bell made in 1858.

It will be hung in a former prison called the Roundhouse which has been turned into a visitor attraction and museum in Fremantle – complete with its own plaque dedicated to the people of Coseley.

Craftsman from John Warner and Sons of London, who also cast the original Big Ben, created the bell for St Aidan's Church, in Bradley, Wolverhampton.

There it remained before the place of worship was demolished a few years ago. Members of nearby Christ Church, in Coseley, saved the bell although it was damaged and without its clacker.

However the church already has working bells and had no use for the smaller version so it remained in storage within the roof space for years.

Recently, parishioners decided to find a new home for the bell and contacted Wiltshire-based organisation The Keltek Trust.

The trust was set up to help churches from across the country find new homes for redundant bells.

After just days of details of the Christ Church bell being posted on the trust's website they were soon contacted by enthusiasts from Australia.

Volunteers working at a former 19th century prison called the Fremantle Roundhouse had been searching for an authentic 19th century bell.

Shirley Burbidge, who is a guide at the converted museum in Western Australia, says the bell was needed as part of renovations to the building.

She says everyone at the museum is "thrilled" with the discovery in emails exchanged with Christ Church bell ringer Dorothy Turley.

"We are absolutely delighted that a little bit of Coseley is going all the way over to the other side of the world," said the 72-year-old from Hurst Hill.

"They are going to erect a plaque for us which is really nice so that all the visitors will be able to see where the bell has come from."

The Roundhouse was the first prison in Western Australia and is the state's oldest public building. It opened its doors for the first prisoners on January 18th 1831.

Records and old pictures show that there was a curfew bell at the side of the prison.