The death of Queen Elizabeth will have a major impact on the entire country. But – according to new details about ‘Operation London Bridge’ that have been announced – also for churches in Britain. When she dies, the church bells will ring for an hour. That in itself is not uncommon, but this time the bells will be completely muted. It has been since the death of King George VI in 1952 that the church bells had to be completely muted. And so businesses specializing in leatherworking are busy making enough mufflers for the 16,000 churches. “We’re getting a lot of requests and we’re taking more orders,” said Philip Pratt of Big Wilf’s Bell Muffles. “Mufflers are a specialist product and only a few leather workers in the UK make them.”
When a bell has to be completely muted, a damper is fitted on both sides of the clapper. This is only allowed when the monarch dies. At certain other times, such as Remembrance Sunday and certain funerals, the bell is only half muted, with a damper on only one side of the clapper. Such a damper quickly costs 53 euros. And yet it’s worth the price, says Vicki Chapman, spokesman for the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers. “By adding the dampers, the bells sound sad. Then they sound ‘thud, thud, thud’, instead of ‘dong, dong, dong’. It is about honoring the Queen and commemorating her life.”