An eight-year-long dream became reality this morning with the consecration of a historic bell at the Church of St Theresa in Cospicua.

The bell, cast by John Taylor and Co Founders of Loughborough England, was cast in 1930 originally as the largest of a set of 36 demonstration bells.

It was used for playing complex traditional melodies, and therefore is a perfectly tuned musical instrument in itself. The bell was cast during the foundry management of Edmund Denison Taylor (1864-1947) and tuned under the careful ear of Gwendoline Taylor (1894-1942). The excellent harmonics of this bell bear witness to her work, campanologist Kenneth Cauchi said.

Prior Fr Martin Borg OCD, and Fr Robert Grech OCD had been dreaming of procuring the bell for the past eight years.

This bell was the pride of the Taylor Bellfoundry and was actually rung in the 1930s during an onsite carillon recital by the renowned carillon player from Mechelen, Belgium Jef Denyn (1862–1941) who had founded the world's first and most renowned International Higher Institute of Campanology today known as the Koninklijke Beiaardschool "Jef Denyn".

Mr Cauchi said that together with its tower partners, the bell were dismantled during World War II as metal prices soared up and all surplus metal was requisitioned to cast shells for the Allied Military Forces.

The largest bell was spared its fate and never made it back up the bell foundry carillon tower. It was subsequently sold to a Roman Catholic Church in Rotherham, England. The Church later closed down and the bell was homed by a church dedicated to Our Lady Immaculate and St Philip Neri in Uckfield, also in England until the latter decided to go for three small bells instead.

This historic bell which has never been in extensive use following its departure from the bellfoundry, was procured by Mr Cauchi after extensive research on the harmonic qualities and idiosyncratic suitability to musically augment the existent set of unique Gillett and Johnston bells cast in 1935.

The consecration ceremony this morning followed the specialised traditional consecraction rite De benedictione signi vel campanae a ceremony which is last recorded to have taken place by Archbishop Michael Gonzi in 1957 to consecrate the bells of the Parish Church of Gzira, also cast by John Taylor.