Save the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, a campaign group, tweeted: 'The Secretary of State's decision to approve the bell-themed boutique hotel destroys the possibility of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry ever having a future as a fully working foundry.' But the scheme met fierce criticism from community groups, including members of the Save the Whitechapel Bell Foundry Group, which branded the project 'historical vandalism'. The Whitechapel Bell Foundry passed through various owners until, in 1904, it was acquired by the Hughes family. One said: ''Never send to know for whom the bell tolls…' Today it tolls for the Whitechapel Bell Factory. The Great Peter of York bell cast by Charles and George Mears at the Bell Foundry in 1845.

Source: The Nation May 14, 2021 11:26 UTC