GRAYSON PERRY is making a bell to be rung at the end of the pandemic — which supporters of Whitechapel’s closed Bell Foundry hope will also change Government policy.
“Do Boris and his team want to go down as being associated with the demise of the bell foundry that made Big Ben and the Liberty Bell and many others? Or do they want to be associated with its revitalisation?” said Adam Lowe, director of the Factum Foundation, which is dedicated to preserving cultural heritage.
Nigel Taylor, who is helping Perry cast the bell in Gloucestershire, has a 40-year association with the Whitechapel Bell Foundry.
Lowe explained they hope to “draw attention to the viability of bell making in the 21st century in England”. He is part of a campaign to save the foundry, which was established in 1570, after a new owner applied to change the site into a hotel.
Housing minister Robert Jenrick is expected to announce his final ruling on whether this can go ahead at the end of the month. Lowe said Londoners should get behind the bell being made by the Turner Prize winner and assured us it will be “deeply melodious”.