Page 34 - PBCOctober2018

Pickwick Bicycle Club Magazine Volume 15 No.2 October 2018 @34

Whitechapel Bell Foundry's long history spans the
reigns of twenty-seven English monarchs, and among
the royal visitors to the foundry were King George V
and Queen Mary, who came to witness the casting of
two bells for Westminster Abbey. The Foundry
buildings date from 1670, four years after the
Great Fire of London, and presumably replaced
earlier structures lost to that conflagration.
Originally built as a coaching inn called the
Artichoke, the lease of the buildings was acquired
by Thomas Lester - then Master Founder at
Whitechapel - to accommodate the need for extra
workshops and space during a time of great
expansion in the craft of bell-founding. The business The Pickwick Bell
moved there from the North side of Whitechapel Road,
and has remained on the site ever since, withstanding the ravages of war and development.
The Whitechapel premises are now designated as Grade II listed buildings, and as such
may not be altered in any way. Thus the frontage remains unchanged on a very busy East
London Road amongst many modern buildings. During the Blitz, in the Second World War,
many surrounding buildings were hit and destroyed, including the Church of St. Mary,
Whitechapel (the 'white chapel' which gave the area its name), just a few hundred feet
from the Foundry. During the war years, the Foundry ceased making bells, switching to
manufacturing castings for the Ministry of War. In the aftermath of the war, the Foundry
was very 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, in
London.

A manufacturer of the clay pipes from past-times, and always a favourite at the two
annual luncheons, has been found, with production already underway. Also a specially
designed 150th bow-tie has been approved. A brewery has been selected for a Pickwick
Beer, and an engraved Victorian beer glass has been sourced. Some potential regional
events are also on the drawing board, these include Cycle events, a black tie dinner,
brewery visit, etc to name but a few. No doubt Samkin and his team will have more to tell
over the coming months, so further updates will follow in the next edition of the magazine.