Whitechapel Bell Foundry

Whitechapel Bell Foundry was established on the periphery of London – beyond the city wall with other sites of industry, dirt and noise. Today it has been subsumed into the city fabric, but still sits at the margin of city life. The once large and impressive Georgian facade has become lost in the increasingly high-rise cityscape, as Whitechapel succumbs to the pressures of regeneration. The centuries of industry and production that have gone on behind those walls are invisible to the average passer-by. Whitechapel bells are found all over the world, and yet Whitechapel Bell Foundry remains largely unknown to all but an initiated few. With the bell founding now having relocated away from Whitechapel, there is a rare opportunity to open the site up to the public and share its rich and fascinating history with those outside of the bell-making industry; to widen the reach and cultural legacy of this historical icon.

31/44 – architects of the redevelopment of Whitechapel Bell Foundry – will host an exhibition, site tour and short talk illuminating the site’s history and presenting drawings, images and large-scale models of their proposals for its future use.