Until about the middle of the last century the clapper was hung from an iron staple in the crown of the bell. Iron and bronze expand at different rates and this has contributed to the crack in the crown of the bell below.
Recent technology has made it possible to weld bells in this state so that they can be rung again.
When a bell is rung full circle, as in change ringing, the bell hits the clapper and the clapper takes the shock. If a bell is chimed the clapper hits the bell and the bell takes the shock. Prolonged chiming can cause a bell to crack on the soundbow (that is the area in which the clapper strikes) which is why tenor bells, which were frequently tolled for the dead, so often had to be recast. The bell in the photo is cracked on the soundbow and will have to be welded or recast if it is ever to be rung again.
