BIG BEN - THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY

Thursday 10th April 2008 marked the 150th anniversary of the casting of Big Ben, the most famous bell the foundry has ever produced. Weighing 13 tons 10 cwt 3 qtrs 15lbs, the great bell of Westminster - to give it its formal name - was cast on Saturday 10th April 1858. As you'll note from the contemporary illustration above, before it was dubbed 'Big Ben' there were those who thought it should be named 'Victoria'. The full story of Big Ben can be found here.

Needless to say, the anniversary attracted a lot of media interest and the Whitechapel director, Alan & Kathryn Hughes, spent all of Wednesday and much of Thursday itself dealing with photographers, film crews, and reporters. This resulted in some impressive press coverage including a double-page centre spread in Thursday's edition of The Guardian devoted entirely to a photograph of the WBF moulding shop. Here are links to a selection of the online coverage:

Daily Mail, Associated Press, CNN, ITN, MSNBC, Yahoo, USA Today.

At close of business on Thursday, the directors and staff of Whitechapel Bell Foundry gathered in the foundry's front shop to drink a toast to Big Ben. Here's to another 150 years!

News Archive:

April 2007: July 2006: June 2006: Mid-April 2006: April 2006: September 2005: Late-April 2005: April 2005: Late-October 2004: October 2004: July 2003: June 2003: September 2002: Late-August 2002: August 2002: April 2002: February 2002: September 2001: May 2001: February 2001: December 1999:

Quebec: Holy Trinity Government Seeks Whitechapel Help New Cathedral Ring for Alabama WBF Wins Best Family Business Award Whitechapel and A Passion for Churches Report on 2005 Ringing Roadshow Three Decades of Charlie Smith Ringing at the Royal Northern 100 Years of the Hughes Family at WBF Lord Mayor Opens WBF Shop Extension Report on Ringing Roadshow, 2003 Ringing Roadshow, 2003 New York: The 9-11 Bell Dedication The 1881 Libel Case Casting the 9-11 Bell Another Liberty Bell A Big Wheel Open Day 2001 (with photos) Historic Finds at the Foundry Open Day 2000 (with photos) Masham and the Millennium