Whitechapel Bell Foundry
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The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a bell foundry based in the Whitechapel district of east London. Traditionally, the foundry has been known by the name of the Master Founder and owner: from the 19th Century to 1968 it was known as Mears & Stainbank, but has since operated under the name of Whitechapel. The company dates back to at least 1570 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, but a continuous line of master founders in Whitechapel or nearby Aldgate exists since 1420.
The foundry's main business is in church bells and their fittings and accessories, although it also manufactures single tolling bells, carillon bells and handbells.
The foundry has produced a number of famous bells, including the original (1752) Liberty Bell and Big Ben in the Palace of Westminster (both cracked). The latter, at 13½ tons, was cast in 1858 and is the largest bell ever cast at the foundry. Whitechapel also supplied peals of 10 bells for Guildford Cathedral in Surrey in the years following the Second World War (later augmented to 12), and for the National Cathedral in Washington DC in 1964.
Many churches across the world have used bells cast at Whitechapel Bell Foundry, including:
The foundry's premises are now a Grade II listed building, and include a cross-section of Big Ben surrounding the entrance door.
