The Whitechapel Bell Foundry, shuttered since 2017
November 2022
March 2023
July 2023
February 2024
These photos record the ongoing degradation, decay, disregard and disrespect of the world’s most famous bell foundry without any check from those authorities who have the power to do something.
Meanwhile, the London Bell Foundry is offering to acquire the former Whitechapel Bell Foundry at market value but the owners of the grade-II*-listed building refuse to engage, even though their hotel scheme is dead and they have been trying to sell it for several years unsuccessfully. The judgement of the Secretary of State’s Public Inquiry into the future of the foundry in 2020 obligates any owner to ensure foundry activity continues at this site.
The London Bell Foundry is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee set up with the purpose of operating a bell foundry in Whitechapel, combining traditional bell founding with the use of digital technology.
When I posted my most recent photograph on social media last week, it received an astonishing reaction – over eight hundred reposts, hundreds of comments, shared by over one hundred and twenty thousand people – indicative of the extent of public feeling on this issue.
In response to the hullabaloo, Historic England issued this statement –
“Whitechapel Bell Foundry played a vital role in the long history of bell-making in this country and is an important landmark for London. Whilst the historic buildings are no longer in use as a foundry, planning permission was granted for a scheme for its re-use which we accepted would be sensitive to its significance and provide a level of public access.
We share concerns about the vulnerable condition of the building and a worrying increase in graffiti. We are monitoring the situation, but responsibility for the site lies with the owner. Tower Hamlets Council has formal powers if it considers that urgent works are required to preserve the building. We would support the London Bell Foundry’s alternative vision for the site, should they take ownership and apply for the necessary planning consents.”
THE LONDON BELL FOUNDRY
The London Bell Foundry seeks to acquire the Grade II* listed buildings as a permanent home for the London Bell Foundry. They want to open it as a fully-working foundry, re-establishing the world’s most famous bell foundry that operated in Whitechapel for five hundred years from the reign of Elizabeth I to the reign of Elizabeth II.
Their mission is to reinvigorate the art and science of bell founding through a marriage of new and old technology, casting church bells, artists’ bell, ceremonial bells, and bells for all occasions.
They are working with Nigel Taylor, foreman at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry for forty years, alongside artists of international stature and a team of the foremost experts in the technology of casting.
They plan to maximise the educational potential through apprenticeships for local people and work with schools and colleges in East London.
Their first commission was the Covid Bell in 2021, designed by Grayson Perry in support of their mission, which debuted at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2022. The Covid Bell will tour NHS hospitals, enabling those have been bereaved to toll the bell in remembrance.
The London Bell Foundry has demonstrated a proven financial model that can ensure the tradition of bell founding continues in this country in perpetuity.
SUPPORTERS
“I fully support the proposal by the London Bell Foundry to establish a working foundry at the historic Whitechapel site. It is tragic that the bell foundry has been shuttered up since 2017. The presence of a rejuvenated modern bell foundry will once again assert Whitechapel as a place of creative innovation and restore the international reputation of the place where Big Ben and the Liberty Bell were made.”
Lutfur Rahman, Mayor of Tower Hamlets
“The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is one of the East End’s most treasured institutions, with a history stretching back to the 16th century. The foundry made Big Ben, America’s Liberty Bell and more locally the Bow Bells. So many people in the community are campaigning to save as much of the original building as possible, and to keep it as a working foundry. I am proud to support the Save the Whitechapel Bell Foundry campaign, and encourage everyone to join in. Together we can save this important feature of East End life.”
Rushanara Ali, MP for Bethnal Green & Bow
“The East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre welcomes the proposal from the London Bell Foundry to reestablish a working foundry in Whitechapel. This will provide apprenticeships and work experience in traditional and digital crafts for the local community.”
Sufia Alam, East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre
“The re-established Whitechapel Bell Foundry would add significantly to the creative offer in East London. As the V&A East establishes a substantial presence at Stratford and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and develops particular links with the adjacent boroughs, we would welcome the opportunity to promote the Whitechapel-based art and bell foundry. Combining traditional skills with innovative technology and the offer of apprenticeship and further training in this specialised field will enhance the interpretation of the V&A’s important collection of works of art in bronze. Continuing the centuries-old tradition of bell founding in London with its global outreach will enrich the cultural presence and attract national, regional and international interest.”
Dr Tristram Hunt, Director of Victoria & Albert Museum
“The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a crucial component of historic Whitechapel. That it has survived for so long on this site, and in such fascinating and evocative buildings, is nothing short of a miracle. Its survival as a working site is vital both for future generations and for Whitechapel.”
Heloise Palin, Spitalfields Historic Buildings Preservation Trust
Learn more at our THE LONDON BELL FOUNDRY website
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