A BELL believed to be almost 200-years-old has been stolen from a care home in Alcester.
Securelets, which manages Oversley House, said the bell had been stolen overnight from the retirement home on Friday, March 26.
Historian Chris Pickford said: “The bell is 16.58 inches in diameter and has six angular canons.
“The bell has neither inscription nor date, but the canons and certain details of the fittings indicate it is the work of W. & J. Taylor of Oxford.
“It is almost certainly contemporary with the original Oversley House building built in 1837.
“Oversley House was then a workhouse for the recently formed Alcester Poor Law Union.
“The stone for the front of the building was given by Sir Charles Throckmorton of Coughton, but the buildings to the rear of the main block are brick.
“The latter consist of four wings grouped round an octagonal centre block with a clock turret.
“In 1984-5 the buildings were restored and converted into retirement homes for the elderly.”
Anyone with information about the bell’s whereabouts should contact the Standard by emailing [email protected] or calling Securelets on 01527 907667.
