The Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London, established in 1570, cast the largest bell for Big Ben and the Liberty Bell, both of which are famously cracked. The bells were made with fragile metal and are used for summoning legislators and public meetings.
Located in east London, the Whitechapel Bell Foundry is Britain’s oldest bell maker, having been in operation since 1570. The foundry cast the largest bell for Big Ben in 1858 (there are also four smaller bells for quarter-hour chimes) the famous Liberty Bell circa 1752. Besides their maker, these two famous bells have something else in common: they are both cracked. The first bell of Big Ben broke during testing, before it was even hoisted into place at the Palace of Westminster, home to the British Parliament. The second replacement bell, which weighed 13.5 tons, broke off in the clock tower in 1859 after a normal hammer blow. It could not be removed and replaced, so the workers rotated the bell a quarter turn. Since then, the hammer has hit a different spot. The Liberty Bell cracked when it was rung shortly after arriving in Philadelphia in 1752. After recast, its distinctive crack appeared in the early 19th century, possibly as it was rung to acknowledge the death of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall.
For Whom the Bells Toll:
The bell of Big Ben was to be called Victoria. However, Londoners called it Big Ben and the name clearly stuck.
The Liberty Bell was used to summon legislators to legislative sessions and to alert citizens of public meetings and proclamations.
The metal used in the bells has twice the tin content of regular bronze. It is so fragile that even the largest bell can be broken with a strong blow of a hammer.
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