Andrew Wilby

Andrew Wilby is a founding Trustee of The Loughborough Bellfoundry Trust and one of the three owners who vested the buildings, archive, museum and historic equipment in the Trust for posterity. He has a long history of service to the bell-ringing community. He served as Master of the Ancient Society of College Youths in 1978 [the world’s premier ringing society], as secretary from 1981 to 1991 and as a representative to the Central Council of Church Bellringer since 1978. His service there includes as commercial director of the Ringing World, as chairman of the Public Relations Committee and membership of several other committees including the founding of the Tower Stewardship Committee. In addition, he has project-managed several major bell restoration schemes in the UK and overseas including the Bells of Old Bailey Holborn, Trinity Wall Street NY and the Swan Tower Perth WA.

In 1974 he founded the National 12 Bell Contest. Since 1981 he has been a resident ringer in Towcester Northants where he led the restoration and augmentation project in 1989 and similarly, following the restoration of the bells of St Helen’s Lundy Island, Bristol Channel which he led, has been ringing master of the Lundy Island Society. Since 2012 and the restoration project for that church he has been churchwarden.

Andrew was formerly director of logistics at Eurostar UK Ltd and subsequently served as an elected member of South Northamptonshire Council, becoming chairman in 2012. He has been chairman of John Taylor & Co., and leading the revival of the company’s fortunes, since 2008.

This entry was written in June 2020.