St
Mary le Bow Church
Cheapside, City of London |
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Click on
photos to enlarge
Notes in italics are from London 1: The City of London by Simon
Bradley and Nikolaus Pevsner
(1997)
Yale University Press, New Haven and London |
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By Wren, 1670-80, with an C11
century crypt from the medieval church. ... It may be the vaults here, and
not the flying buttresses on the pre-Fire steeple of 1512 at the SW, which
gave the church its suffix 'de arcubus' (of the arches or bows). ... The
tower stands out some distance to the N because Wren found here a Roman
gravel roadway, which made an admirable new foundation. Behind it is a
vestibule, and only S of that the church, built on an enlarged site 1670-5
... Of the church only the modest outer walls of brick with stone
dressings survived the war. The interior was rebuilt by Laurence King,
1956-64, reproducing Wren's design (Victorian restorations by J.L. Pedley,
1867, and Blomfield, 1879). The W side is a three-bay facade with a big
pediment connected to the aisle fronts by small curved pieces. Central
doorway with segmental pediment on carved brackets. Large arched central
window, smaller lower arched side windows each with a circular window
above, and an oval window in the pediment. As restored, they have
gratingly inappropriate metal mullions. Corresponding E front (not
shown). ...
But the glory of the church is its
steeple, the proudest of all Wren's steeples, and at 224 ft (68 metres)
second in height only to St Bride. It was raised in 1678-80, the first
true steeple made after the Fire ... The square tower is especially broad
and high. ... |
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The bell-stage has coupled
Ionic pilasters. Above this is a balustrade with openwork angle pilasters
in the form of volutes moving up to the top. Between them the spire rises,
with a conical core but a splendid architectural dress. First a rotunda of
free-standing Corinthian columns. If the steeple has a fault, it is their
excessive slenderness; but their order follows the proper vertical
sequence. On them a second balustrade, then again volutes moving up to the
graceful top stage, which is of a Greek-cross type with further
projections in the re-entrant angles. It carries twelve Composite
colonnettes (renewed in granite by George Gwilt Jun., 1818-20), to
correspond to the twelve columns below. Obelisk to finish; on it a very
large copper weathervane, a dragon, made by Robert Bird in 1679 from the
wooden model of Edward Pierce. |
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The church itself has an
almost square nave of three wide arches on piers with attached Corinthian
demi-columns. ... More demi-columns support dosserets and an ornamental
feature over the E window. The piers carry the transverse arches of an
elliptical tunnel-vault, pierced by segment-headed clerestory windows. ...
Keystones are carved with the heads of those involved with king's
restorations.
The new furnishings, designed by King, are mostly of oak, some explicitly
Neo-Georgian, others plainer but still traditionally detailed. Two
pulpits; Bishop's throne behind the altar, with reredos made by Faithcraft
Studios ... Hanging Rood designed by John Hayward, carved by Otto Irsara
of Oberammergau. Good stained glass also by Hayward, 1964, but with
colours and forms too hot and strong for the gilt and pastel gentilities
around it. ... |
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Sacrament House in the S
aisle; organ case at the W end, made by Dove Bros.
Bow Bells
From the church website: "Bow
bells are probably the most famous in the world and for many hundreds of
years have been woven into the folklore of the City of London. In 1392
Dick Whittington heard Bow bells call him back to London to become Lord
Mayor; to be born within the sound of Bow bells was the sign of a true
Londoner or Cockney ... During the Second World War the BBC's World
Service broadcast a recording of Bow bells, made in 1926, as a symbol of
hope to the free people of Europe. ..." More
about the history of Bow bells at the church website. |
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Additional
pictures of the tower
by Mary Ann Sullivan
Map
More
London Buildings on Astoft |
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