The Congress Bell was originally placed on the President's table at Congress to help maintain order during unruly debates. At the 1891 Congress in Newcastle, Thomas Burt, the miners' leader and TUC President, rang the bell 'emphatically' when Ben Tillett challenged his authority. Burt was presented with the bell when Congress closed and, thereafter, every President has kept the bell as a souvenir. This silver bell was presented to Wilf Beard, President of the 1956 TUC Congress in Brighton.

Title	Congress bell, 1956
Maker	--
Production Date	1956
Format	Object
Copyright	--
Holding Institution	TUC Library Collections, London Metropolitan University
Related Objects	--