Whitechapel Bell Foundry VAT refund form
My desire and determination to buy locally-produced souvenirs when travelling (thus avoiding Chinese-made kitsch) first began in 2016 during my 3rd visit to Britain. At the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in East London, I had spent over 110 pounds on a few bells made right on premise. As a foreign visitor, I was entitled to get part of the VAT (sales tax) back as refund, and this was the form provided to me by Whitechapel Bell Foundry.
Little would I know that just one year after my visit, Whitechapel Bell Foundry shut down in 2017, after having been in business since 1570. I will treasure the bells that I bought, and still mourn the demise of such a historic business.
Whitechapel Bell Foundry is most well known for having cast, in 1752, the Liberty Bell, which was commissioned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of William Penn's 1701 Charter of Privileges, Pennsylvania's original constitution. Then in 1858, the foundry was commissioned to make perhaps the world's most famous bell, the Big Ben in the British Parliament. "Big Ben" weighs 13½ tons and is the largest bell ever cast at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry.
Whitechapel Bell Foundry VAT refund form
My desire and determination to buy locally-produced souvenirs when travelling (thus avoiding Chinese-made kitsch) first began in 2016 during my 3rd visit to Britain. At the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in East London, I had spent over 110 pounds on a few bells made right on premise. As a foreign visitor, I was entitled to get part of the VAT (sales tax) back as refund, and this was the form provided to me by Whitechapel Bell Foundry.
Little would I know that just one year after my visit, Whitechapel Bell Foundry shut down in 2017, after having been in business since 1570. I will treasure the bells that I bought, and still mourn the demise of such a historic business.
Whitechapel Bell Foundry is most well known for having cast, in 1752, the Liberty Bell, which was commissioned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of William Penn's 1701 Charter of Privileges, Pennsylvania's original constitution. Then in 1858, the foundry was commissioned to make perhaps the world's most famous bell, the Big Ben in the British Parliament. "Big Ben" weighs 13½ tons and is the largest bell ever cast at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry.