Bellfoundry
Bellfoundry lies on the southern border of Lundeinjon and, along with Copper Hill, forms part of the Hollywell region of the city. The division between Bellfoundry and Copper Hill is largely an administrative one, created for the constabularies of the Lundeinjon Metropolitan Police Force. In everyday speech, residents refer to both districts collectively as Hollywell, or speak of particular neighborhoods within the region, such as Mothersgate. If pressed, they may say they live in West Hollywell, with Tinkermarket serving as the rough boundary between West and East Hollywell. This division roughly corresponds to the municipal districts of Bellfoundry and Copper Hill.
Bellfoundry takes its name from the massive Hollywell Bell Foundry, where many of the church bells that ring throughout the city were cast. The district is dominated by heavy industry, from the expansive Construct Yards to the Magdalena Street Railway Works. The streets of Bellfoundry are notoriously noisy, except once a week on Sunday mornings, when by long tradition the manufactories fall as quiet as possible during services at St. David-the-Praiseful. Many residents carry small talismans capable of projecting a bubble of silence around them, which they use to gain a few moments of peace from the constant industrial din.
Demographics
The people of West Hollywell occupy the upper tiers of the working class. They are skilled laborers who earn enough to live comfortably, with a little to spare. Constructs, which have displaced many workers elsewhere in the Empire, are present in Bellfoundry's industrial worksites, but they are used primarily for tasks that are too dangerous for humans yet simple enough for their limited capabilities. Most workers regard them as unsettling but useful.
Immigrants are uncommon in Bellfoundry, though not unheard of, and are generally more numerous in East Hollywell (Copper Hill). West Hollywell has a particular reputation for piety. Much of community life centers on St. David-the-Praiseful, the largest church south of the River Lunde. Attendance at services is nearly universal, and most social events in the district are connected to the church in some way. The residents are also reputed to be intolerant of other faiths, particularly the Old Church.
History
In 1510, the Liberty of Litchfort, just north of what is now Bellfoundry and Copper Hill, was incorporated into the city proper. This occurred after the split between The Church and the Kingdom of High Albion, when the Crown seized the liberty from the Bishop of Litchfort. As a result, the city's prohibitions against the theater, as well as certain other trades such as prostitution, were extended into the area.
These businesses moved south to remain close to the city while staying outside its legal boundaries, establishing themselves in the Hollywell Fields, an area named for Hollywell Priory. The priory itself was also seized by the Crown and its lands sold off. Several of its buildings were converted into playhouses and brothels. The phrase "Hollywell Nun" remains in local use as a term for prostitutes and as a slur against followers of the Old Church.
During the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, some of the first purpose-built playhouses were constructed here, including the famous Draper's Theatre. This remained the case until 1640, when laws changed to allow theaters within the city proper. Over the following decades, most theaters relocated to the city to reach larger audiences.
Around this time the district began to shift toward crafts and industrial production, with the Bell Foundry, established in 1550, serving as an early anchor for this transition. The construction of the White Pudding Canal in 1790 accelerated the process by making it easier to transport materials to and from the area. The later arrival of The Albion Railway further reinforced the district's industrial character.
Today, Bellfoundry is one of the key engines of Lundeinjon's economy, manufacturing goods that are shipped throughout the Empire and across the world.
Points of interest
Heavy Industry
The principal landmarks of the Bellfoundry district revolve around the industries established there. The oldest of these is the Hollywell Bell Foundry, which has operated since 1550 and is where most of the church bells of Lundeinjon began their lives.
Another major enterprise is MacShame's Toolworks, one of the district's most innovative companies. Founded in 1780, MacShame's is known for improvements to key technologies such as the hydraulic press, as well as for manufacturing the steam pumps that keep the Lunde Tunnel dry.
Perhaps the most controversial landmark in the district is The Construct Yards. This complex is owned by a conglomerate of companies that share the cost of the thaumaturgical security required to keep stray spirits from possessing the prepared shells before they are bound. The site is internally subdivided into several workyards where Constructs are produced and animated. The Construct Yards are a constant source of tension in the district, and the constables of Hollywell Constabulary patrol the area regularly to deter attacks by The Wreckers.
At the southern edge of the district, in the Mothersgate neighborhood, stand some of Bellfoundry's newest landmarks, all associated with The Albion Railway. Mothersgate Station provides access to the rail network, while raw materials and finished goods are constantly transferred through the nearby Mothersgate Goods Yard. Close at hand is the Magdalena Street Railway Works, a locomotive and carriage facility where the railway conducts maintenance and repairs, and where plans are underway to construct new locomotives in the near future.
A final industrial landmark lies near the border with Tallowmere: the Canal Street Gas Works, which produces large quantities of Phlogiston for use in the city's alchemical gas lamps.
Faith and Progress
Although the Hollywell Bell Foundry is the most visible landmark in the district, the people who live there would name St. David-the-Praiseful as the most important. The church was rebuilt in 1720 as a masterwork of Palladian architecture and remains a source of pride for the entire community.
It was the first church in Albion to receive alchemical gas lamps, and it houses one of the largest and most elaborate organs in the city, manufactured by the Wills & Cooper Organ Works in nearby Copper Hill. St. David's was constructed with a layer of alchemically produced soundproofing embedded in its walls so that the interior is shielded from the noise of the district. Even so, it remains a local tradition for the surrounding yards to be as quiet as possible during services, with many halting production entirely on Sunday mornings.
The congregation is also famous for its choir, widely considered the finest in the city. Their reputation is such that they were invited to St. Cuthbert-on-High at the request of Empress Charlotte to sing during her coronation in 1816, an honor that the choirmaster still mentions regularly fourteen years later.
The district has also been the focus of improvement efforts by The mac Domnall Institute, which seeks to elevate the condition of the working classes by improving their living standards. In 1826, the Institute opened the Morthwaite Public Baths on Cotton Square to provide inexpensive bathing and laundry facilities for the public, with the aim of improving hygiene and public health. The bathhouse has been well received and is currently being expanded to include swimming baths. The Institute has also announced plans to construct public baths in several other parts of the city in the coming years.
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Visions of Bellfoundry
Below are paintings of Bellfoundry by some of Lundeinjon's most prominent artists.
Bakers' Riot by J.S.A. Carver
Cotton Square by Frank Dearings
MacShame Engine by Frank Dearings
Mothersgate Station by Frank Dearings
Polishing Crew 4 by J.S.A Carver
St. David-the-Praiseful by J.S.A. Carver
The Foundry by Maex Darles
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Author's Notes
Thanks to Daernhelm for making the images in "Visions of..."