Whitechapel Bell Foundry
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The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is Britain's oldest manufacturing company - and they've got an entry in the Guinness Book of Records to prove it. Founded in 1570, during Queen Elizabeth I's reign, they've been casting bells here ever since. Famously, the bell that tolls at Big Ben was cast here in 1858 and at 13 and a half tons, remains the largest bell ever cast at Whitechapel. The original Liberty Bell (1752) and the Great Bell of Montreal also originated here. Today, you can still the foundry still deals in the manufacture of large church bells, single tolling bells, carrillon bells and handbells as well as the associated accessories and installation. In the aftermath of the Second World War, the Foundry was kept busy replacing peals lost to bombing raids and fires, including the bells of St Mary-Le-Bow and St Clement Danes of 'Oranges and Lemons' nursery rhyme fame. As the foundry is still very much an active business tours are not available during working hours. However, you can book in for a visit on select Saturdays (tours begin at 10am and 2pm, arrive 15 minutes beforehand) and group tours get booked out well in advance.
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London > Hotels > Mid-Range Chain Hotel
5 Cavell Street, E1 | 8 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Perfectly located in the heart of the East End, this new generation Holiday Inn offers a quiet retreat away from the hustle and bustle of the ... More
London > Hotels > Luxury Chain Hotel
335-337 Old Street, EC1V | 18 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Prison cells are VIP booths in the bar at the Courthouse Hotel Shoreditch, a 128 room hotel in the Old Magistrates Court and Police Station, opposite ... More
London > Apartment > Apartment
Patriot Square, E2 | 21 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Town Hall building in Bethnal Green has been beautifully restored creating a unique designer hotel which fuses old and new. With a mix of bedrooms, ... More
Alternative Historic Buildings nearest Whitechapel Bell Foundry

London > Attractions > Historic Buildings
Commercial Street, Spitalfields, London E1 | 6 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Built in 1729, Nicholas Hawksmoor's Christ Church creation was declared dangerous and closed in 1956. Vigorous campaigning, from the poet Sir John Betjeman among others, eventually ... More

London > Attractions > Historic Buildings
91 Brick Lane, Spitalfields, London E1 | 8 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Old Truman Brewery's celebrated Old Boiler House, which dates back to the 1830s, a warehouse with spectacular soaring ceilings and houses the landmark Truman Chimney, ... More

London > Attractions > Historic Buildings
18 Folgate Street, Spitalfields, London E1 | 10 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The brainchild of eccentric designer and performer, Dennis Severs' House at 18 Folgate Street captures, in a series of evocative snapshots, 18th century life as experienced ... More
Sights and Attractions near Whitechapel Bell Foundry

London > Attractions > Art Galleries
77-82 Whitechapel High Street, Tower Hamlets, London E1 | 3 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Designed in a distinctive Arts and Crafts architecture style by Charles Harrison Townsend, the Whitechapel, Britain's first purpose-built arts gallery, is renowned both for the beauty ... More

London > Attractions > Other Attractions
Brick Lane, Spitalfields, London E1 | 4 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
London's own "Curry Mile", Brick Lane is home to so much more than first-rate spiced food, it also plays host to Jewish bagel shops, Indian sari ... More

London > Attractions >
54 Leman Street, E1 | 6 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
A pretty, pedestrianised square with a water feature and bronze horses galloping down the middle, Goodman's Fields is a focal point for local residents and workers ... More

London > Entertainment > Cinemas
Goodman's Fields, 2 Canter Way, E1 | 5 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Part of an upmarket development, Goodman's Fields, Curzon Aldgate is a new-build cinema in the East End. Enter through the lounge/bar with its leather sofas ... More

London > Entertainment > Arts Centres
91 Brick Lane, Spitalfields, London E1 | 7 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Popular with the Shoreditch crowd on the weekends, The Old Truman Brewery houses more than 200 small, creative businesses, a bar and several areas for hire. ... More

London > Entertainment > Classical Music
Graces Alley, Off Ensign Street, Tower Hamlets, London E1 | 8 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
In the nineteenth century, Wilton's Music Hall was a great mirrored hall lit by a vast chandelier, with 27,000 crystals and 300 gas jets. Opera, ... More
Shopping near Whitechapel Bell Foundry

London > Shopping > Markets
Brick Lane, Spitalfields, London E1 | 6 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Brick Lane Market is pure East End London, which means Jewish bagel shops, Bangladeshi curry houses, Indian sari silks - and Cockneys crying out their wares. ... More

London > Shopping >
3 Fournier Street, Spitalfields, London E1 | 6 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Laundry Room presents its very first Christmas Pop-Up Shop, taking place on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th December 2011 in east London. Housed on the ground floor ... More

London > Shopping > Clothing
15 Hanbury Street, Spitalfields, London E1 | 7 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
A whole array of vintage handbags, dresses and belts are on offer at this specialist shop including more than a thousand pairs of shoes and boots. ... More
Restaurants near Whitechapel Bell Foundry

London > Restaurants > Italian restaurants
16-18 Whitechapel Road, E1 | 1 minute from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Handmade pizza cooked from scratch and cider sourced from the West Country are the two things The Stable does, and it does them well. Owners Nikki ... More

London > Restaurants > Indian/South Asian restaurants
83 - 89 Fieldgate Street, Tower Hamlets, London E1 | 1 minute from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
You can tell from the queue that regularly forms just inside the door that this place offers something above the average. A highly rated and highly ... More

London > Restaurants > Cafes and Delis
42 Adler Street, E1 | 1 minute from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Located in the Qbic hotel in Whitechapel, Motley is an all-day bar and restaurant ... More

London > Education > Evening Classes
10 Sunbury Workshops, Swanfield Street, Shoreditch, London E2 | 15 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Learn some crafty manouveurs at Making Space where classes on mask making, glass engraving, pyrography (burning patterns into wood or leather), chainmail knitting, and book hollowing ... More

London > Education > Evening Classes
4 Luke Street, Shoreditch, London EC2A | 15 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
National charity for adult learning which also runs an excellent selection of theatre, literature, history and politics evening classes.... More

London > Education > Adult Education
121 Roman Road, Tower Hamlets, London E2 | 21 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
For 30 years Four Corners has been training, producing and supporting the full range of film and photographic requirements. Services on offer include filmmaking facilities and ... More
Leisure near Whitechapel Bell Foundry

London > Leisure > Activities
95 Brick Lane, Spitalfields, London E1 | 7 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The third of these increasingly popular 1950s retro-America style bowling alleys opened in late 2008 to much critical acclaim. Located in the Old Truman Brewery on ... More

London > Leisure >
The Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, Shoreditch, London E1 | 7 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Spread over three floors L!FE is a unique space within The Old Truman Brewery where yoga, food and music sit side-by-side. ... More

London > Leisure >
45 Prescot Street, Tower Hamlets, London E1 | 9 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Free to use for all hotel residents, the Tower Bridge Health and Fitness Club boasts a range of luxury fitness and spa services. The fully equipped ... More

London > Nightlife > Pubs
31 Leman Street, E1 | 5 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Between Wapping and Aldgate is the Leman Street Tavern , a 1.5 million pound pub that's owned by the Geronimo Inns group ... More


London > Restaurants > Gastropub
226 Shoreditch High Street, Shoreditch, London E1 | 12 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
After serving two queens and a king, surviving The Blitz and enjoying a period as a notorious strip club, The Crown and Shuttle sadly closed its ... More
Nightlife near Whitechapel Bell Foundry

London > Nightlife > Bars
76 Commercial Street, E1 | 6 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
London's oldest whisky specialists, Milroy's of Soho, established in 1964, headed east for their second site, Milroy's of Spitalfields, ... More

London > Nightlife > Bars
15 Hanbury Street, Ely's Yard, E1 | 7 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Nestled in the heart of the Old Truman Brewery, tucked away at the back of Ely's Yard, Juju's Bar and Stage ... More

London > Nightlife > Bars
The Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, Spitalfields, London E1 | 7 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Vibe Bar manages to be both chilled out and cutting edge. Located inside the Truman Brewery on trendy Brick Lane, you can come here to drink ... More
Meeting venue hire near Whitechapel Bell Foundry

London > Business > Venue Hire
2 Fournier Street, Broadgate, Spitalfields, London E1 | 6 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Built in 1729, Nicholas Hawksmoor's Christ Church creation was declared dangerous and closed in 1956. Vigorous campaigning, from the poet Sir John Betjeman among others, eventually ... More

London > Business > Venue Hire
1 Grace's Alley, (Off Ensign Street), Tower Hamlets, London E1 | 8 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
In the nineteenth century, Wilton's Music Hall was a great mirrored hall lit by a vast chandelier, with 27,000 crystals and 300 gas jets. Opera, operetta, ... More

London > Business > Venue Hire
13 Devonshire Sq, Broadgate, City, London EC2M | 10 minutes from Whitechapel Bell Foundry
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Hotels near Whitechapel Bell Foundry
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