American Embassy London: September 11 Remembered: City of London Bell for New York

September 11 Remembered
City of London Bell for New York

"TO THE GREATER GLORY OF GOD AND IN RECOGNITION OF
THE ENDURING LINKS BETWEEN THE CITY OF LONDON AND
THE CITY OF NEW YORK
FORGED IN ADVERSITY - 11 SEPTEMBER 2001"

"The bell is an incredible reaffirmation of the relationship between our two countries and will be tremendously well received in New York where people are still suffering from the aftermath of the attacks."
Ambassador William S. Farish

"The bell is a token which shows the support of the people of London for the people of New York.

It is commemorative but we do not want to dwell too much on the commemorative. The bell rings out hope, it is a sign of hope for the future.

There is tremendous support for the people of New York in the City of London and beyond. We have cast the bell because I would like to bring to the people of New York a token of the concern we feel for them and the hope and belief that we have in the future."
Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman Michael Oliver

Source: Corporation of London

The Whitechapel Bell Foundry has been casting bells for more than 400 years, including some of the most famous bells in the United Kingdom and the United States.

In 1752 the foundry cast the famous "Liberty Bell" at the request of what was then the British colony of Pennsylvania to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the democratic constitution granted the colony by William Penn. It cracked while being tested but was recast and rung later to celebrate such great events as the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. It cracked again while tolling for the funeral of Chief Justice John Marshall, and the crack extended when an attempt was made to ring it in 1846. The cracked bell has become one of America's best known patriotic symbols. Although it may no longer be rung, it has been struck on special occasions. On June 6, 1944, when Allied forces landed in France, Philadelphia offcials struck the bell. Special sound equipment picked up the tone, amplified it and broadcast it to all parts of the United States.

The bell now hangs in the Liberty Bell Pavilion, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Whitechapel Foundry also cast the Bicentennial Bell - one of Britain's gifts to the American people for their 200th birthday celebrations in 1976.