And on the subject of London's bells, my father used to tell a lovely story. He had just finished basic training and was home on leave the day the Germans surrendered (WW2). Like most other Londoners he made his way to Buckingham Palace and joined the cheering throng. Eventually the King came out, and after more cheering the Queen, and finally Winston Churchill. The next thing was that all the bells in London began to ring, and the ringing spread out across the land to signal the end of the War. This was the first time they had sounded in six years, they had been silent for the entire duration so as not to provide navigational aid to any incoming spies or invaders.

KateG