March 2021: Oranges and Lemons This is not about fruit! It is an imaginative twist used by our March Zoom speaker who gave us architectural and other background on the churches mentioned in this traditional .

St Clement’s “Oranges and lemons, say the bells of St Clement’s” These are the bells of St Clements Eastcheap, “cheap” in former times meaning market. The church is tucked away off King William Street near Bridge. The original wooden church on the site was destroyed (like several others below) in the Great Fire of London 1666. The current church was designed by Sir Christopher Wren. It is an irregular shape dictated by the site. It has a plain tower with stuccoed bays and a gilded reredos and roof. The association with oranges and lemons is due to wharf which was nearby and where citrus fruits were unloaded.

St Martin’s “You owe me five farthings, say the bells of St Martin's” This is the well-known St Martin-in-the-Fields church at Trafalgar Square. There has been a church on the site (which was originally fields outside the city walls) from the 13 th century. The current church was rebuilt in 1726. Designed by James Gibbs, it is a blend of Baroque and Palladian styles with Corinthian columns. The spire is 59m high. It holds a full circle of 12 bells, the largest of which weighs 1,486kg. It is the official church of Buckingham and St James’s Palaces. The “five farthings” in the rhyme relates to the money lenders who traded nearby. Today the church has a strong tradition of helping the homeless, being known as “The Church of the Ever Open Door”.

Old Bailey “When will you pay me? Say the bells of ” Old Bailey is the street which is home to The Church of the Holy Sepulchre- without-Newgate. It is the largest church in the city. The tower dates from 1450 but the main church was destroyed in the Great Fire. The interior is described as “a polyglot of different styles and re-designs”. It contains the Musicians’ Chapel, where, among other musicians, Sir Henry Wood, founder of the ‘Proms’, is buried. Being close to the gallows at Newgate, a handbell made in 1605 was rung outside a prisoner’s cell at midnight the day before their execution. Bells in the main tower also announced an execution to the public at large.

St Leonard’s, Shoreditch “When I grow rich, say the bells of Shoreditch” The current church dates from 1736. There may have been a church on the site since Saxon times, though the first mention is in the 12 th century. The medieval church suffered a collapse of its tower in 1716. It was rebuilt in Palladian style by George Dance the elder, who had worked under Wren. It contains slender Doric columns, subtle colonnades and large bright windows, an innovation at the time. In earlier times there were 8 bells but today it has a main ring of 12 bells plus a ‘sharp second’. Three of the bells feature on the coat of arms of the Borough of Hackney.

St Dunstan’s, Stepney “And when will that be? Say the bells of Stepney” The full name of this church is St Dunstan and All Saints. It is the oldest church in the East End. Dunstan, Bishop of London, who was also Mayor of Stepney around AD950, replaced an original wooden church with a stone one. The current building is the third on the site dating from the mid-15 th century and built of Kentish ragstone. The chancel is 13 th century. Above the main entrance are two carvings – on the left a ship and on the right a devil with tongs. The ship represents the long association of the church with seamen. Thus the church is often depicted showing the Red Ensign. It also allowed registration of children born at sea to be members of the parish. There are ten bells, the heaviest being 1.46 tonnes. The seven oldest were cast in the famous Whitechapel foundry in 1806.

St Mary-le-Bow “I do not know, says the great bell of Bow” Like others, there was a church on the site in Saxon times. The medieval church was another that was burnt down in the Great Fire. It was one of the first Wren churches to be rebuilt afterwards. Its style is known as “restrained Baroque”. Its classic steeple was an important landmark at 68m tall, the second tallest in London. It has a pilastered belfry that supports a balustrade with scrolled finials at the corners. The church was destroyed by German bombing in 1941 but was rebuilt in 1960-64. It is said that to be a true cockney you must be born within the sound of Bow Bells. At one time this could be as far away as Southwark or Waltham Forest, but today it is only in the City and Shoreditch. The church was famous in the Middle Ages as being the place where London’s single curfew bell was rung to herald the end of the working day. This was referenced in 1469 when the Council ordered its ringing at 9pm. Seven of the original set of 8 bells were recast at the time of Wren’s rebuilding. Two more were added later and the set of ten first rung to celebrate the 25 th birthday of King George III in 1763. Most recently a new set of 12 bells was cast in 1956. The great bell today weighs 2.1 tonnes and is 155cm diameter.

(Photos: Public domain or Creative Commons Licence - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en; St Martin’s: Robert Cutts; Old Bailey: Johan Bakker; St Mary-le-Bow: Steve Cadman)