An online petition to save the historic Whitechapel Bell Foundry has so far attracted more than 14,000 signatures. At the time of its closure in 2017 the company was the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain - it was set up in 1570 and moved to the site in Whitechapel Road in 1739, though the building itself dates from 1670.
In 2017 the building was sold to a US company which plans to convert it into a workshop, public cafe and artist space, plus a hotel occupying a 1980s-built extension. However, campaigners, including V&A director Dr Tristram Hunt and Sir Antony Gormley, have backed a rival plan to return it to a fully working foundry.
The East End Preservation Society started this petition to Tower Hamlets Council, Mayor of London and the Minster of Culture, Media and Sport.
We the undersigned wish to publicly register our very serious concern about the imminent loss of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry.
Bells have been made continuously in Whitechapel since the 1570s. The business has been on its present site since the mid 1740s. It is one of just two remaining bell foundries in Britain, and the foundry is reportedly the oldest manufacturing company in the UK.
This is the foundry that made Big Ben in 1858, the world famous US Liberty Bell and many many more.
We are very concerned that we will lose not only specialized jobs and skills, but that this type of business and trade is part of the historic essence of our towns and cities. How is Britain allowing this national treasure to slip through our fingers?
