THE MAN whose job it was to prepare church bells after the Queen died has spoken of his immense pride.

Rob Lane is tower captain at St Nicholas' Church in Brighton, and spent Thursday evening readying the bells as the country struggled to deal with the death of Her Majesty.

Rob was preparing the ten bells for their five minute ring shortly after the Queen’s death, ahead of an hour-long ring on Friday.

“There’s a plan for bell ringers in place for when the Queen dies,” he said.

The Argus: A leather clapper on one of the bells at the churchA leather clapper on one of the bells at the church (Image: The Argus)

“We put a muffle on the clapper to create a mournful, haunting sound. It’s on one side so what you get is a normal sound on one ring, and a muffled sound on the other.”

It takes care and precision to fit the leather muffle, and comes with a huge amount of responsibility.

The feeling of sorrow during Friday’s ringing was palpable in the tower, Rob said.

“It was weird. There were lots of people watching as we did it. It felt that we were a part of history,” he said.

The Argus: Rob in actionRob in action (Image: The Argus)

“It’s a sombre occasion, one that has been coming for a long time, but it’s hard to describe,” he said.

“I’m sad that the queen has died but thankful for her service.

“She’s been there for the good and the bad. We all feel a connection with her.”

On the once-in-a-lifetime occasion of fitting a muffle for a monarch’s death, Rob said: “It’s a real honour for me. A real privilege.”

The Argus: One of the bells at the church used in the ringingOne of the bells at the church used in the ringing (Image: The Argus)

Rob, who lives in Findon, has been bell ringing in Brighton for 28 years, and was fundamental in marking Prince Philip’s death last year.

The ten bells at St Nicholas' are 100 years old, celebrating the centenary anniversary later this year.

Bells at churches around the country rang out from 12pm until 1pm on Friday to mark the Queen’s death.

MPs gathered in the House of Commons at midday to pay their respects, led by speeches from Prime Minister Liz Truss and the leader of the Labour party, Keir Starmer.

Some businesses chose to close in the city, while schools remained open.