View source for St Mary-le-Bow

{{Distinguish|Marylebone|Bow Church|St Mary-le-Bow, Durham}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}}
{{Infobox church
| name             = St Mary-le-Bow
| image            = St Mary le Bow.jpg
| caption          = View from Bow Churchyard
| pushpin map      = Greater London
| map caption      = Location in Greater London
| location         = [[Cheapside]], [[City of London]], [[EC postcode area|EC2]]
| denomination     = [[Church of England]]
| previous denomination = [[Roman Catholic]]
| website          = https://www.stmarylebow.org.uk/
| founded date     = 1080
| founder          = [[Lanfranc]]
| dedication       = [[Mary, Mother of Jesus]]
| events           = 
| heritage designation = 
| designated date  = 
| architect        = * [[Sir Christopher Wren]]
* Laurence King (to Wren's design)
| style            = 
| years built      = 
| construction cost = 
| spire height     = 
| materials        = 
| bells            = 
| bell weight      = 
| benefice         = St Mary-le-Bow
| deanery          = The City
| archdeaconry     = [[Archdeacon of London|London]]
| diocese          = [[Diocese of London|London]]
| province         = [[Province of Canterbury|Canterbury]]
}}
The '''Church of St Mary-le-Bow''' ({{IPAc-en|b|oʊ}}) is a [[Church of England parish church]] in the [[City of London]], England. Located on [[Cheapside]], one of the city's oldest thoroughfares, the church was founded in 1080, by [[Lanfranc]], [[Archbishop of Canterbury]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=City of London, St Mary le Bow |url=https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/church/st-mary-le-bow-city-london |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=[[National Churches Trust]]}}</ref> Rebuilt several times over the ensuing centuries, the present church is the work of [[Christopher Wren|Sir Christopher Wren]], following the [[Great Fire of London]] (1666). With its tall spire, it is still a landmark in the City of London, being the third highest of any [[List of Christopher Wren churches in London|Wren church]], surpassed only by nearby [[St Paul's Cathedral]] and [[St Bride's Church|St Bride's]], [[Fleet Street]]. At a cost of over £15,000, it was also his second most expensive, again only surpassed by St Paul's Cathedral.<ref name=":17">{{Cite book |last=Cobb |first=Gerald |url=http://archive.org/details/londoncitychurch0000cobb |title=London city churches |date=1977 |publisher=London : Batsford |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-7134-3186-5 |pages=}}</ref>

St Mary-le-Bow is widely known for its bells, which also feature in the nursery rhyme "[[Oranges and Lemons]]".<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=Bells |url=https://www.stmarylebow.org.uk/bells/ |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=St Mary-le-Bow |language=en-US}}</ref> According to legend, [[Richard Whittington|Dick Whittington]] heard the bells calling him back to the city in 1392, leading him to become [[Lord Mayor of London|Lord Mayor]]. Traditionally, anyone born within earshot of the bells was considered to be a true Londoner, or [[Cockney]].<ref name=":2" />

The church suffered severe damage by the [[Luftwaffe]] in the Second World War as part of the [[The Blitz|Blitz]], like many churches in London. The interior was reduced to a shell, and though the tower survived, fire damage made the bells crash to the floor. The church was sympathetically restored to its pre-war condition by Laurence King from 1956 to 1964.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=St. Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside |url=http://www.english-church-architecture.net/london%20-%20city%20of%20london/st.%20mary-le-bow,%20cheapside/st__mary-le-bow,_cheapside.htm |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=English Church Architecture}}</ref> The church was awarded [[Listed building|Grade I listed status]], the highest possible rating, on the [[National Heritage List for England]], whilst still a shell in 1950.<ref name=":7">[[Historic England]]. "[https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1064696 Church of St Mary-le-Bow] (Grade I) (1064696)". ''[[National Heritage List for England]]''</ref>

== History ==

=== Foundation ===
Though [[archaeological excavation]]s suggest an earlier [[Anglo-Saxon architecture|Saxon building]] may have stood on the site prior to the [[Norman Conquest]], the first confirmed church dedicated to [[Mary, mother of Jesus|St Mary]] on [[Cheapside]] was built by [[Lanfranc]], [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], in 1080.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=St.Mary-le-Bow church, Cheapside |url=https://www.thehistoryoflondon.co.uk/stmarylebow/ |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=The History of London |date=21 February 2014 |language=en-US}}</ref> Lanfranc, who was [[William the Conqueror]]'s archbishop brought over from [[Normandy]], founded the church as part of the Norman policy of dominating London.<ref name=":3" /> Three major buildings were constructed as part of this policy; [[St Paul's Cathedral]], the [[Tower of London]], and a church on Cheapside.<ref name=":9">{{Cite book |last=Blatch |first=Mervyn |title=A guide to London's churches |date=1995 |publisher=Constable |isbn=0-09-474630-3 |edition=2nd |location=London |pages=131–134 |oclc=34190338}}</ref>

The church at Cheapside was dedicated to St Mary and was constructed from [[Caen stone]]<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |title=Architecture |url=https://www.stmarylebow.org.uk/boyle-2018-2/ |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=St Mary le Bow |language=en-US}}</ref> from Normandy, the same stone used in the Tower of London. The architect for the Tower of London was [[Gundulf of Rochester|Gundulf]], [[Bishop of Rochester]], who may have also designed the first St Mary-le-Bow.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://www.stmarylebow.org.uk/history/ |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=St Mary le Bow |language=en-US}}</ref> This early church was built on two levels, with a lower [[undercroft]] partially below street level and the upper church, built above it. The lower church was constructed first and featured round stone arches, which were a novelty at the time. This led to the church being known as ''Sancta Maria de Arcubus'' (St Mary of the Arches),<ref name=":11">{{Cite book |last=Young |first=Elizabeth |title=London's churches |date=1986 |publisher=Grafton |others=Wayland Kennet, Louisa Young |isbn=0-246-12696-5 |location=London |pages=161–163 |oclc=13126690}}</ref> a name which eventually became St Mary-le-Bow, ''bow'' being an old name for arches.<ref name=":12">{{Cite book |last=Bradley |first=Simon |title=London : the city churches |date=1998 |publisher=Penguin Books |others=Nikolaus Pevsner |isbn=0-14-071100-7 |location=London |pages=108–111 |oclc=40428425}}</ref>

=== 11th and 12th centuries ===
The church was nearing completion in 1091 when it was [[London tornado of 1091|destroyed by a violent tornado]], amongst the most powerful ever to strike England.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2021 |title=St Mary Le Bow |url=https://www.londonparishclerks.com/Parishes-Churches/Individual-Parish-Info/St-Mary-Le-Bow |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=The Worshipful Company of Parish Clerks |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Ross |first=David |title=St Mary-le-Bow, History & Photos {{!}} Historic London Guide |url=https://www.britainexpress.com/attractions.htm?attraction=1595 |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=Britain Express |language=en}}</ref> Roof [[rafter]]s measuring {{Convert|27-28|ft}} long were thrown up in the air and forced into the ground with such force that only their tips remained visible.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":8">Keene, D J, and Vanessa Harding. "[https://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/london-gazetteer-pre-fire/pp199-212#s2-40 St. Mary le Bow 104/0]." ''Historical Gazetteer of London Before the Great Fire Cheapside; Parishes of All Hallows Honey Lane, St Martin Pomary, St Mary Le Bow, St Mary Colechurch and St Pancras Soper Lane''. London: Centre for Metropolitan History, 1987. '''199-212'''. ''British History Online''. Retrieved 30 November 2022.</ref> The lower church survived, but the upper church was damaged beyond repair. The church was rebuilt, possibly in [[facsimile]], but was destroyed again just a hundred years later, in a fire in 1196. The fire was caused by fugitive [[William Fitz Osbert]] hiding in the church tower, and to coax him out, supporters of the Archbishop of Canterbury set fire to the church. Osbert was fatally stabbed as he fled.<ref name=":9" />

=== Late medieval period ===
[[File:ONL (1887) 1.337 - The Seal of Bow Church.jpg|thumb|The tower of St. Mary-le-Bow as it appeared before the Great Fire]]
The church was rebuilt again in the early 13th century following the 1196 fire, becoming a [[Royal peculiar|peculiar]] of the Archbishops of Canterbury and their London headquarters.<ref name=":1" /> It became home to the [[Arches Court|Court of Arches]], to which the church gave its name.<ref name=":17" /> The Court of Arches, which still has its home at St Mary-le-Bow today, was the [[ecclesiastical court]] of appeal for the [[Province of Canterbury]], founded in 1251. This allegiance to Canterbury made it the second most important church in London, after St Paul's Cathedral.<ref name=":3" />

The tower partially collapsed in its south west corner in 1271,<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":8" /> killing at least one civilian in Cheapside below, Laurence Ducket.<ref name=":3" /> The tower was not immediately repaired and was kept in use. From 1363 onwards, the tower's principal use was the housing of the city's [[curfew bell]], rung at 9 pm every evening and being able to be heard as far away as [[Hackney Marshes]].

Work to repair the tower was slow, with construction noted to take place in 1448, 1459 and 1479. The tower was finally completed in 1512,<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":8" /> supporting a spectacular series of stone [[Roof lantern|lanterns]]; four around the corners of the tower and one suspended in the centre by arches. These lanterns were designed to light the streets below.<ref name=":17" />

==== Destruction during the Great Fire of London (1666) ====
Soon after midnight on Sunday, 2 September 1666, a fire started in [[Thomas Farriner]]'s bakery on Pudding Lane, {{Convert|0.7|km|mi}} to the southeast of St. Mary-le-Bow. During the course of the night, the easterly wind [[Great Fire of London|spread the fire through the city]], consuming 300 houses in the first night alone. The fire continued to grow, becoming a [[firestorm]] on Monday and sweeping west towards St Paul's Cathedral.

St Mary-le-Bow was one of over fifty churches to catch fire during the firestorm, which was only extinguished on the Thursday. The church was nearly completely destroyed, except for the tower, which survived albeit with fire damage. Attempts were made to repair the tower, but they all ultimately failed: the tower was structurally compromised from the fire and was no longer strong enough to support the ringing of bells.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":9" />

=== Wren rebuilding ===
Following [[Christopher Wren]]'s appointment as the King's Surveyor of Works in 1669, Wren's office was contracted to rebuild the fifty one churches of the city consumed by the fire. The [[Rebuilding of London Act 1670]] provided the funds for this, as it included raising the tax on coal. Other than St Paul's Cathedral, St Mary-le-Bow was considered the most important church in the city, and thus, according to a document dated to 13 June 1670, at the head of the list to be rebuilt.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":13">{{Cite web |title=St Mary-le-Bow - The Architectural Drawings of Sir Christopher Wren |url=https://library.asc.ox.ac.uk/wren/st_mary_le_bow.html |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=All Souls' College Library Architectural Drawings}}</ref> The [[Stonemasonry|mason's]] contract for the rebuilding of St Mary-le-Bow was signed just under two months later, on 2 August.<ref name=":13" />

Wren's initial designs were for a simple three bay structure and short tower, the latter topped by a simple [[cupola]].<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":13" /> This was revised in the same year with a much taller tower and more intricate spire. The body of the church, inspired by the [[Basilica of Maxentius]] in Rome, was completed by 1673.<ref name=":5" /> The tower, however, would take a further seven years to finish, being finally completed in 1680. The total cost of the rebuilding was £15,421<ref name=":17" /> (equivalent to more than £2.3 million in 2021), the second most expensive of any of Wren's churches, only surpassed by St Paul's. The tower was rebuilt in [[Portland stone]], the rest of the church in brick.<ref name=":7" /> The tower became such a landmark that it was known as the "Cheapside pillar".<ref name=":3" />

During the rebuilding, Wren moved the position of the tower to sit directly on Cheapside, whereas the Norman and [[Tudor architecture|Tudor]] towers had sat back from the road.<ref name=":17" /> Whilst building the foundations for the tower, Wren came across an old [[Roman roads|Roman causeway]] {{Convert|18|ft|m}} below ground level and {{Convert|4|ft|m}} deep, which provided a solid foundation.<ref name=":11" /> Wren also discovered the 11th century undercroft below the ruins, but he was uninterested, believing it to be Roman.<ref name=":1" /> He only provided a trapdoor and ladder into the undercroft, which became the [[crypt]] for the church above it.<ref name=":1" />

=== 18th – 20th centuries ===
In 1820, the upper part of the spire was rebuilt and repaired by architect [[George Gwilt]].<ref name=":3" /> In 1850, the church finally ceased to be a "peculiar", coming under the jurisdiction of the [[Diocese of London]], ending a practice started six hundred years earlier. The church continued, however, to be the home of the [[Arches Court|Court of Arches]]. Further alterations took place in the late 19th century, with the removal of galleries in 1867 and additional modifications from 1878 to 1879.

[[File:St Mary-le-Bow bomb damage.jpg|thumb|The ruins of St. Mary-le-Bow after the Blitz]]

In 1914, a stone from the crypt of the church was placed in [[Trinity Church (Manhattan)|Trinity Church]], New York, to mark the fact that [[William III of England|William III]] granted the [[vestry]] of Trinity Church the same privileges as St Mary-le-Bow vestry.<ref name=":0" />

==== Second World War ====
Beginning in 1940, the Luftwaffe began bombarding British cities from the air, a campaign known as [[the Blitz]]; London was struck especially heavily. Throughout most of the campaign, St Mary-le-Bow suffered only minor damage. However, on the final night of the Blitz, 10–11 May 1941, the church took several direct hits. A major fire started, destroying most of the building except the outer walls and the tower. The tower was not directly hit, but the fires from the church interior spread, burning out the tower floors and causing its bells to crash to the floor. The use of Portland stone in the tower, rather than the brick used in the body of the church, contributed to its survival.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":9" />

From 1956 to 1964, the church was sympathetically rebuilt and restored by Laurence King to Wren's designs, at a cost of £63,000.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":7" /> The tower survived, mostly as Wren left it, but part of it required rebuilding due to fire damage weakening the walls. The church was reconsecrated in 1964, achieving Grade I listed status whilst still a ruin in 1950.<ref name=":7" />

== Architecture ==

=== Plan ===
[[File:St Mary le Bow plan.jpg|thumb|Floor plan]]
The church building has a rectangular plan, with the tower situated on the northwest corner, separated from the main body of the church by a [[Vestibule (architecture)|vestibule]]. The design of the church is such that the chancel occupies the eastern end of the nave, both with north and south aisles, which are noted to be extremely narrow. A vestry adjoins the vestibule to the north of the north aisle.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":7" /><ref name=":15">"[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/london/vol4/pp76-84 Cordwainer Ward]," in ''An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in London, Volume 4, the City'', (London: His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1929), 76-84. ''British History Online'', retrieved November 30, 2022</ref>

Unusually, due to the addition of the vestibule separating the tower and nave, the building has a greater length north to south than east to west;<ref name=":4" /> measuring {{Convert|79|ft|m}} from east to west but {{Convert|131|ft|m}} from the north wall of the tower to the south wall of the nave.<ref name=":8" /> The total area of the church building is {{Convert|761|m2|sqft}}, which according to the [[Church of England]], makes it a "large" sized church building.<ref name=":15" /><ref group="nb">The Church of England categorise church buildings by size, with anything under 200 sq m considered to be "small", between 200 and 599 sq m as "medium", between 600 and 999 sq m as "large", and anything above that as "very large".</ref>

=== Exterior ===
The exterior of St Mary-le-Bow is mostly constructed from red brick with dressings of Portland stone, with the exception of the tower, which is built entirely from Portland stone.<ref name=":7" /> The three principal facades of the building (south, north and east) have [[gable]]d walls and [[pediment]]ed centres, complete with triplets of round-headed windows. The most prominent aspect of the exterior is Wren's imposing tower, measuring {{Convert|30|ft|m}} square externally and with a height of 221&nbsp;feet 9&nbsp;inches (67.6&nbsp;m), it is the third highest of any Wren church.<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":15" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=St. Mary-le-Bow Church, London |url=https://www.emporis.com/buildings/136427/st-mary-le-bow-church-london-united-kingdom |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126114652/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/136427/st-mary-le-bow-church-london-united-kingdom |archive-date=26 Jan 2022 |access-date=30 Nov 2022 |website=[[Emporis]]}}</ref>

The tower, constructed of Portland stone, is formed of four stages surmounted by an elaborate stone [[spire]]. The lowest stage has doorways in the north and west faces of the tower, set in substantial stone recess with added [[Rustication (architecture)|rustication]]. The recess has a round head and is flanked by [[Doric order]] columns, which support a moulded [[entablature]] above.<ref name=":14">{{Cite book |last=Hornak |first=Angelo |title=After the fire : London churches in the age of Wren, Hawksmoor and Gibbs |date=2016 |others=Stephen Platten |isbn=978-1-910258-08-8 |location=[London] |pages=180–189 |oclc=935690766}}</ref> The doorways inside these recesses are set between [[Tuscan order]] columns which support a Doric [[frieze]]. The second and third stages of the tower are more simple in construction, with two large square windows to the second stage, and a single round-headed window to the third. The fourth stage, housing the bell chamber, has a large round-headed opening in each wall, divided into three sections by thin [[mullion]]s and filled with [[Louver|louvre]] boards. Framing the bell openings are pairs of [[Ionic order]] [[pilaster]]s supporting an entablature, above which is the [[parapet]]. The parapet comprises an open [[Baluster|balustrade]] between four corner [[pinnacle]]s, formed of four [[ogee]] scrolls topped with small stone vases.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":8" /><ref name=":9" /><ref name=":10" /><ref name=":15" /><ref name=":16">{{Cite web |last1=Schofield |first1=John |last2=Bush |first2=George. R. |date=September 2007 |title=Conservation Management Plan |url=https://www.stmarylebow.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Conservation-Management-Plan-LR.pdf |access-date=30 Nov 2022 |website=St Mary le Bow}}</ref>

The spire above the tower is also formed of four stages. The lowest stage is a circular drum-shaped structure surrounded by twelve columns which have carved [[Acanthus (plant)|acanthus]] [[Capital (architecture)|capitals]]. These twelve columns support a [[cornice]] with [[modillion]] decoration. Above the cornice is a second open balustrade, similar in design to that on the top of the tower. The second stage is formed of twelve curved [[flying buttress]]es which support a circular-shaped moulded cornice. The third stage stands on the base of the cornice, and is square in plan, with [[granite]] columns on the corners. These columns support the fourth and final stage of the spire, which takes the form of a tall, square, tapering pinnacle, surmounted by a ball and [[Weather vane|weathervane]], the latter taking the shape of a winged dragon.<ref name=":17" /> <gallery widths="150" heights="200">
File:St Mary-le-Bow Nov 2022.jpg|View from Cheapside in 2022 
File:Doorway at the Northwest of St Mary-le-Bow in the City of London (02).jpg|Western doorway in tower showing entablature and rustication 
File:Tower, St Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside, City of London - geograph.org.uk - 1946328.jpg|Church from the west 
File:St Mary-le-Bow churchyard.jpg|Western facade 
File:Bow Church spire.jpg|Detail on the tower and spire 
</gallery>

=== Interior ===
Only three bays make up the nave of the church, which is divided into small aisles by large round-headed arches. These arches are supported by compound piers with attached demi-columns that feature shorter pilasters for the openings and [[Corinthian order|Corinthian capitals]] for the nave and aisles.<ref name=":7" /> The [[Barrel vault|tunnel vault]] above the nave is covered in ornamental panelling that is painted blue and white and is penetrated by the [[clerestory]] windows.<ref name=":15" />

The church windows are among the structure's most prominent elements following its 1964 restoration. They, along with the other furniture, vestments, etc., were created by [[John Hayward (stained glass maker)|John Hayward]].<ref name=":17" /> All three of the east windows have rounded arches, although the central window is taller and wider than its neighbours, who have small round windows above them.<ref name=":15" />

Linking the church and tower is a vestibule, featuring a tall [[Groin vault|groin-vaulted]] stone ceiling.<ref name=":7" /> The top of the vault is pierced by a removable circular trapdoor, opened to allow the bells to be lowered or raised from the tower.<ref name=":4" />

Beneath the church, built on almost the same floorplan, is the 11th-century crypt.<ref name=":16" /> The crypt, originally built as the undercroft for the church destroyed in the tornado in 1091, is three bays in length and features Norman-era round arches, some of which contain Roman bricks, and a groined vault.<ref name=":8" /> The crypt is now in use as the "Café Below".<ref name=":4" /> <gallery widths="150" heights="150" perrow="5">
File:St Mary-le-Bow Church Interior 1, London, UK - Diliff.jpg|Interior, looking east 
File:Coat of Arms on the Organ in St Mary-le-Bow.jpg|Coat of arms on the Organ gallery 
File:St Mary-le-Bow stained glass (15668504912).jpg|Stained glass window by John Hayward 
File:St Mary-le-Bow Crypt.jpg|Crypt 
File:Hanging Crucifix in the Church of St Mary-le-Bow.jpg|Hanging crucifix 
</gallery>

== Music ==

=== Organ ===
[[File:St Mary-le-Bow Church Interior 2, London, UK(crop) - Diliff.jpg|thumb|Organ, showing its position above the west gallery. The pipes date from 2010, the case from 1964]]
The earliest record of an organ at the church dates to 1802 when Hugh Russell of London built a small instrument formed of 13 [[Organ stop|stops]] and 2 [[Manual (music)|manuals]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=N17647 |title=St. Mary le Bow, Cheapside [N17647] |work=The National Pipe Organ Register |date=2007 |access-date=30 November 2022}}</ref> This organ, like its successors, was situated on a gallery above the west doors. This organ lasted until 1867, when [[George Holdich|George Maydwell Holdich]], also of London, rebuilt and enlarged the organ. He added a third manual, a pedalboard and 11 additional stops to make a total of 24.<ref name=":18">{{Cite web |title=St. Mary-le-Bow Organ History |url=https://www.lavenderaudio.co.uk/organs/smb/history.html |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=Lavender Audio}}</ref><ref name=":19">"[https://www.npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=N17648 St. Mary le Bow, Cheapside %5BN17648%5D]". ''The National Pipe Organ Register''. 2007. Retrieved 30 November 2022.</ref>

In 1880, the organ was purchased by [[J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd|Walker & Sons]] at a cost of £255 and transferred to the [[Methodism|Methodist]] Church at [[Thornton, Leicestershire]].<ref name=":19" /> Walker & Sons constructed a new instrument for St Mary-le-Bow in the same year, at a cost of £1,108. This new instrument was much larger, formed of 33 stops and 3 manuals plus a pedalboard and was situated in the sanctuary at the eastern end of the church.<ref>"[https://www.npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=N17649 St. Mary le Bow, Cheapside %5BN17649%5D]". ''The National Pipe Organ Register''. 2007. Retrieved 30 November 2022.</ref> This organ lasted unaltered until the Blitz, when following the first strike to hit the church, which only caused minor damage, it was removed for safekeeping by [[Rushworth and Dreaper|Rushworth and Draper]].<ref name=":18" />

Following the restoration of the church from 1956, the organ was remodelled in 1964. The organ was reduced in size by almost half, only 18 of the original 33 stops were reinstated and a new case designed and installed above the west door. This organ was considered by many to be a rather poor imitation of its pre-war condition but funds did not permit its replacement for 40 years.<ref name=":18" />

In 2004, a project to replace the organ was launched by the church, with Kenneth Ticknell & Co chosen as builders.<ref name=":20">{{Cite web |title=Organ |url=https://www.stmarylebow.org.uk/organ/ |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=St Mary-le-Bow |language=en-US}}</ref> The project, which cost £380,000, was funded by corporate and personal donors. In January 2010, the old organ was removed, though the 1964 case, based on work by the [[Alsace]] [[Andreas Silbermann|Silbermann family]], was kept. The organ was completed in August 2010 and the first recital was given by [[Thomas Trotter (musician)|Thomas Trotter]] on 29 September. The new organ, which reuses the old case, has 34 stops and two manuals plus pedalboard.<ref name=":18" /><ref name=":20" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2010 |title=Organ Specification - St Mary le Bow |url=http://www.tickell-organs.co.uk/specInfo/opus72.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305203543/http://www.tickell-organs.co.uk/specInfo/opus72.htm |archive-date=5 March 2016 |website=Kenneth Tickell & Co}}</ref>

The church also has a small chamber organ, formed of 1 manual and with 5 stops, made by an unknown builder. It is situated in the south nave aisle.<ref name=":18" /><ref name=":20" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2007 |title=St. Mary le Bow, Cheapside [R01501] |url=https://www.npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=R01501 |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=The National Pipe Organ Register}}</ref>

=== Bells ===

==== History ====

===== Early bells =====
The bells at St Mary-le-Bow are often considered to be the most famous peal in the world.<ref name=":21">{{Cite web |title=Individual Tower Details - London, EC, St Mary-le-Bow |url=http://www.inspirewebdesign.com/ringsof12/tower_details.asp?towerid=57 |access-date=2022-12-01 |website=Rings of Twelve encyclopedia}}</ref> According to legend, Richard (Dick) Whittington heard the bells in 1392 when he left the city, calling him back and leading him to become [[Lord Mayor of London|Lord Mayor]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":22">{{Cite web |last=Love |first=Dickon |title=St Mary le Bow, Cheapside |url=http://london.lovesguide.com/tower.php?id=760 |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=Love's Guide to the Church Bells of the City of London}}</ref> The earliest written record of bells at the church is in 1469, when the Common Council orders a [[curfew]] bell should be rung at St Mary-le-Bow at 9.00 each evening.<ref name=":23">{{Cite book |url=https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/bitstream/handle/1974/11937/ringoftwelvebell00croy.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=yso |title=Bow Bells |publisher=[[Gillett & Johnston]] |year=1933 |location=London}}</ref> In 1515, William Copland, one of [[Henry VIII]]'s [[merchant]]s, gave money for a "great bell" to be installed, with directions it should be rung to announce the curfew. With Copland's gift, the tower then contained five bells.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":21" /><ref name=":22" /><ref name=":23" />

In the 1552 survey of church goods ordered by [[Edward VI]], the tower is recorded as containing five bells with two additional "sanctus" bells. These five bells would later be augmented, when in 1635, six are recorded. In 1666, during the Great Fire of London, the bells and tower, along with the church, were damaged beyond repair.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":21" /><ref name=":22" /><ref name=":23" />

Following the Great Fire and Wren's rebuilding of the church, the tenor bell of a proposed ring of eight was cast by [[Christopher Hodson (bellfounder)|Christopher Hodson]] of [[St Mary Cray]] in 1669, placed in a temporary structure in the churchyard until the tower was completed. The bell weighed approximately 52 long cwt (2,600&nbsp;kg). In 1677, Hodson cast the remaining seven and hung all eight bells in the newly completed tower in a new oak frame.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":21" /><ref name=":22" />

===== 18th and 19th centuries =====
No further work would take place to the bells until 1738 when the tenor bell was recast by [[Richard Phelps (bellfounder)|Richard Phelps]] and Thomas Lester; Phelps had previously cast the hour bell at St Paul's Cathedral, called Great Tom, which still survives today.<ref name=":6" /> In 1762, Lester & Pack recast and rehung the other seven bells and added two more, to make a ring of ten, keeping the Hodson frame. The bells were rehung again in 1835 by Thomas Mears of [[Whitechapel]] and then a third time by [[Whitechapel Bell Foundry|Mears & Stainbank]] in 1863.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":21" /><ref name=":22" /><ref name=":23" />

In 1881, Mears & Stainbank cast two new bells to augment the ring to twelve, rehanging the 3rd and 4th bells concurrently. This gave London its 5th ring of twelve, following St Bride's, Fleet Street; [[St Michael, Cornhill|St Michael Cornhill]]; St Paul's Cathedral; and [[St Giles-without-Cripplegate|St Giles Cripplegate]]. In 1902, the bells needed rehanging again, with work taking place to the heaviest three bells by [[Gillett & Johnston]] of [[Croydon]]. This was evidently not successful, for the bells needed rehanging just 5 years later, the work given to Mears & Stainbank of Whitechapel again.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":21" /><ref name=":22" />

===== Selfridge's ring =====
[[File:1881 and 1933 rings at St Mary-le-Bow.png|thumb|Comparison of the 1881 ring of twelve (above) and the 1933 Gillett & Johnston ring of twelve (below)]]
In January 1927, following the deterioration of the fittings and the condition of the tower, the bells were declared unringable in a report first published by ''[[The Times]]''.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=21 Jan 1927 |title=Bow Bells - A Great Opportunity |url=http://cccbr.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/rw1927.pdf |journal=The Ringing World |volume=XXII |issue=826 |pages=33–34, 41 |via=Central Council of Church Bell Ringers}}</ref> Over the ensuing six years, much work was done to the tower and the church to restore it, but the bells remained unringable, to much public outcry. Finally, in 1933, [[Harry Gordon Selfridge]] offered to defray the cost of restoring the bells, an offer which was accepted by the church, who gave the contract to Gillett & Johnston, who Selfridge had worked with a few years previously on bells for his [[Selfridges, Oxford Street|Oxford Street store]].<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":21" /><ref name=":22" /><ref name=":23" />

The announcement that Gillett & Johnston intended to recast the tenor, which was believed to be cracked, caused so many objections that a meeting of the [[Province of Canterbury]]'s ecclesiastical court was called; the decision of the court was eventually that the tenor should be recast.<ref>"[http://cccbr.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/rw1932.pdf Bow Bells - The Proposed Restoration]" (PDF). ''The Ringing World''. '''XXVII''' (1,096): 201–203. 25 March 1932 – via Central Council of Church Bell Ringers.</ref> Gillett & Johnston found upon removing the bells to their works in Croydon that four more of the bells (6, 7, 8 and 10) were cracked, in addition to the tenor. All five cracked bells were recast in addition to the three lightest bells, leaving only the 4th, 5th, 9th and 11th from the previous ring to be retained; these four bells were retuned.<ref>"[http://cccbr.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/rw1933.pdf Bow Tenor Recast]" (PDF). ''The Ringing World''. '''XXVIII''' (1,154): 281–282. 5 May 1933 – via Central Council of Church Bell Ringers.</ref> The bells were rehung in their original frame with new cast iron headstocks, [[ball bearing]]s and [[wrought iron]] clappers. The frame was substantially strengthened with a massive concrete and steel grillage weighing 3.5&nbsp;long tonnes (3,556&nbsp;kg).<ref>"[http://cccbr.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/rw1933.pdf Reopening of Bow Bells] (PDF). ''The Ringing World''. '''XXVIII''' (1,154): 425. 7 July 1933 – via Central Council of Church Bell Ringers.</ref> The bells were rededicated by the Archbishop of Canterbury on 7 July 1933.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":21" /><ref name=":22" /><ref name=":23" />

Shortly after their installation, the [[BBC World Service]] recorded the bells for use as a [[time signal]], which brought the attention of the bells to a global audience; the recording survives today.<ref name=":0" /> On the night of 10 May 1941, the church was struck by several incendiary bombs. Though the tower was spared a direct hit, the flames from the body of the church were fanned into the tower, which acted like a furnace, destroying all of the internal floors and the frame, causing the bells to crash over {{Convert|100|ft}} to the ground, irrevocably damaging them.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":21" /><ref name=":22" />

===== Post-war restoration =====
[[File:Great Bells of Bow.jpg|thumb|The present ring of bells, with the Great Bell of Bow centre left]]
The damaged bells were removed shortly after their destruction to Mears & Stainbank's foundry in Whitechapel, but they remained in storage for more than 10 years. In 1956, as the restoration of the church began, attention turned to the restoration of the tower and the recasting of the bells. Much of the cost of restoring the tower and bells was met by the [[Bernard Sunley]] Charitable Foundation and Trinity Church, Wall Street, New York City. A new ring of twelve was cast by Mears & Stainbank in 1956, partially reusing metal salvaged from the 1933 ring. However, due to the condition of the tower, which required repairs, the bells were not hung until late 1961.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":21" /><ref name=":22" />

The bells were dedicated in the presence of [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh]] by [[Robert Stopford (bishop)|Robert Stopford]], [[Bishop of London]], on 21 December 1961.<ref name=":17" /> The tenor was tolled by Prince Philip at the beginning of the service. The bells were hung in a new frame, made of [[Java]]nese Jang (''[[Dipterocarpus]] terminatus''<ref name=":22" />).<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":24">{{Cite web |last=Baldwin |first=John |date=26 Mar 2022 |title=London, City of London, S Mary le Bow, Cheapside |url=https://dove.cccbr.org.uk/detail.php?tower=10588 |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers}}</ref> Since then, the bells have been frequently rung, both by members of the [[Ancient Society of College Youths]] who reside in or near the city, and by visiting bands of ringers, who come from across the world to ring the bells.<ref name=":6" />

All the bells are named and each bell has an inscription from [[Psalms]], the first letter of each forming the [[acrostic]] "D.{{nbsp}}Whittington".<ref name=":21" /> The largest bell weighs 41 long cwt 3 qrs 21&nbsp;lb (4,697&nbsp;lb or 2,131&nbsp;kg),<ref name=":24" /> the third heaviest tenor bell in London after St Paul's and [[Southwark Cathedral]].<ref name=":6" />

==== Specification ====
{| class="wikitable"
|+Bells of St Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside, EC2
!Bell
Number
!Name
!Weight
(cwt-qrs-lbs)
!Weight 
(kg/lbs)
!Note
!Diameter
(inches)
|-
|1
|Katherine
|5-3-21
|{{Convert|302|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
|G
|27.75
|-
|2
|Fabian
|5-3-10
|{{Convert|297|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
|F
|29.00
|-
|3
|Christopher
|6-1-7
|{{Convert|321|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
|E
|30.00
|-
|4
|Margaret
|6-2-17
|{{Convert|338|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
|D
|32.00
|-
|5
|Mildred
|7-3-27
|{{Convert|406|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
|C
|34.00
|-
|6
|Faith
|8-3-27
|{{Convert|457|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
|B
|35.00
|-
|7
|Augustine
|10-0-20
|{{Convert|517|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
|A
|38.00
|-
|8
|John
|12-1-11
|{{Convert|627|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
|G
|41.00
|-
|9
|Timothy
|17-3-17
|{{Convert|909|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
|F
|46.00
|-
|10
|Pancras
|21-2-23
|{{Convert|1103|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
|E
|49.00
|-
|11
|Cuthbert
|29-1-5
|{{Convert|1488|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
|D
|54.00
|-
|12
|Bow
|41-3-21
|{{Convert|2131|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
|C
|61.25
|-
| colspan="6" |All bells have the Whitechapel Bell Foundry roundel cast upon them, together with the date of their recasting (1956). 
|-
| colspan="6" |Sources:<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":9" /><ref name=":11" /><ref name=":21" /><ref name=":22" /><ref name=":24" />
|}

==== In popular culture ====
The bells, often considered amongst the most famous in the world, have typically been used to define whether or not one is a true Londoner or [[Cockney]]; anyone born within their earshot is considered such. With the [[Urbanization|urbanisation]] of the City of London in the 20th and 21st centuries, the increasing population, [[noise pollution]] and the soundproofing measures installed in the belfry, the range of the Bow bells is significantly smaller than at its peak.<ref name=":25">{{Cite magazine |title=Acoustic reach of Bow Bells has shrunk dramatically due to ambient noise |language=en-GB |magazine=Wired UK |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/bow-bells-cockney |access-date=2022-11-30 |issn=1357-0978}}</ref><ref name=":26">{{Cite web |last=Smallman |first=Etan |date=2012-06-25 |title=Muted Bow Bells drive Cockneys "to extinction" |url=https://metro.co.uk/2012/06/25/muted-bow-bells-drive-cockneys-to-extinction-479876/ |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=Metro |language=en}}</ref>

In 1851, the bells could be heard across north and east London, as far as [[Hackney Marshes]], [[Stratford, London|Stratford]] and [[Limehouse]], with reports that they could also be heard south of the [[River Thames|Thames]] in [[Southwark]]. An acoustic study taken in 2012 shows that this range has shrunk substantially, and is now confined to the eastern parts of the Square Mile and [[Shoreditch]]. With no maternity hospitals within this range and only limited residential properties, arguably the modern chance of the birth of a "true" cockney is now very low.<ref name=":25" /><ref name=":26" />

The bells are also mentioned in the nursery rhyme "[[Oranges and Lemons]]": "I do not know, says the Great Bell of Bow".<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":3" />

Ordinarily, distances by road from London are now measured from [[Charing Cross]] but, before the late 18th century, they were measured from the [[London Stone]] in [[Cannon Street]], or the [[Cornhill, London#History|Standard]] in Cornhill. However, on the road from London to [[Lewes]], the mileage is taken from the church door of St Mary-le-Bow. To note the reference point used, mileposts along the way are marked with the [[rebus]] in cast-iron of a bow and four bells.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":5" />

The church is also mentioned in the song "[[The London Boys]]" by [[David Bowie]] ("… Bow Bell strikes another night…").

The [[West Ham United F.C.]] away shirt for the 2024/25 season features a graphic representation of the St Mary-le-Bow woven into the fabric along with a reference to the church's bells on the back of the neck.<ref>{{Cite web |author-mask=West Ham Football |title=West Ham's 2024/25 away shirt includes a imprinted image of St Mary-le-Bow Church. |url=https://x.com/westhamfootball/status/1803560508559122552}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Charlotte |date=2024-07-08 |title=West Ham United launch new 'Cockney' 2024/25 away kit. |url=https://www.romfordrecorder.co.uk/sport/24436931.west-ham-united-launch-new-cockney-2024-25-away-kit/ |access-date=2024-10-24 |website=Romford Recorder |language=en}}</ref>

== Services ==
St Mary-le-Bow ministers to the [[Financial services|financial industry]] and [[Livery Company|livery companies]] of the City of London. Consequently, services are held on weekdays rather than the more traditional Sunday morning. Services generally consist of two sessions of 15 minute prayer, one at 8.30 am and another at 5.45 pm on every weekday. These are supplemented by two more formal services of Eucharist, one on a Wednesday lunchtime at 1.05 pm and the second on a Thursday evening at 6.05pm.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Services |url=https://www.stmarylebow.org.uk/services/ |access-date=2022-12-01 |website=St Mary le Bow |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|35em}}
<references group="nb" />{{Portal|Christianity|London}}

==Further reading==
* [[Howard Colvin]], ''Biographical Dictionary of British Architects''
* Michael Byrne and George R. Bush (eds), ''St Mary-le-Bow: A History'' (Privately published, 2007).

==External links==
{{Commons category|St Mary-le-Bow}}
* {{Official website}}
* [http://in360degrees.co.uk/wrenchurches/data/008StMaryLeBow/ 360° panorama inside St Mary-le-Bow]

{{Coord|51|30|50|N|0|05|37|W|region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(TQ322812)|display=title}}

{{London landmarks}}
{{Churches in the City of London}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary le Bow}}
[[Category:Christopher Wren church buildings in London]]
[[Category:Church of England church buildings in the City of London]]
[[Category:Rebuilt churches in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Churches completed in 1680]]
[[Category:17th-century Church of England church buildings]]
[[Category:English Baroque church buildings]]
[[Category:Churches bombed by the Luftwaffe in London|Mary-le-Bow]]
[[Category:Diocese of London]]
[[Category:Grade I listed churches in the City of London]]
[[Category:1680 establishments in England]]