Whitechapel foundry to give Thames pageant bell appeal

The famous Whitechapel Bell Foundry is casting a peel of six bells to lead what promises to be a cacophonous Royal Thames Pageant on June 3. 'Elizabeth' is the largest, weighing half a ton, and the others are also named after members of the royal family. Mounted on the Belfry Barge, they will be a first for the Thames, and it will be interesting to see how their sound will travel over the water. The Foundry, at the back of a quaint Georgian building just beyond Whitechapel Art Gallery on the opposite side if the road, is an unlikely looking place to have cast such giants as Big Ben and America's Liberty Bell. The company has been in the same family hands for generations. The Dickensian foundry (pictured) is worth a visit, with a small museum in its front room. Of course, when you walk in, a bell tinkles...