Unconfigured Ad Widget

Collapse

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Bow Bells

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Bow Bells

    Does anybody know which of these districts (if any) would have been 'within the sound of Bow Bells' ?

    Camberwell
    St Saviour (Southwark)
    Pancras
    Stepney
    Wandsworth
    St George Hanover Sq

    Thanks
    ~ FOR PHOTO RESTORATIONS PLEASE SCAN AT A RESOLUTION OF 300-600 WITH THE SCALE AT 100% MINIMUM ~ http://restoreandcolour.brainwaving.co.uk

  • #2
    Its St Mary le Bow in Cheapside so it would be Stepney

    I expect the sound would have carried further in the days before traffic noise though
    Last edited by Jill on the A272; 13-09-08, 13:02. Reason: traffic noise

    Comment


    • #3
      Well the real Bow bells are the bells of St Mary Le Bow in Cheapside in the City of London.

      But some people do confuse them with Bow church in East London.

      Looking at your list I'm not sure any of those parishes would be in hearing distant of St Mary Le Bow, perhaps St George Hanover Sq or St Saviour Southwark just across the Bridge on the south side of the Thames.

      Stepney being in the vicinity of the Bow Church though!
      Last edited by Guest; 13-09-08, 13:04.

      Comment


      • #4
        Source: Wikipedia

        According to traditional definition, a "true" Cockney is someone born within earshot of the Bow Bells, i.e. the bells of St. Mary-le-Bow church in Cheapside in the City of London (which is not itself in the East End). However, the bells were silent from the outbreak of World War II until 1961.[1] Also, as the general din in London has increased, the area in which the bells can be heard has contracted. Formerly it included the City, Clerkenwell, Finsbury, Shoreditch, Hoxton, Stepney, Bethnal Green, Limehouse, Mile End, Wapping, Whitechapel, Shadwell, Bermondsey, Rotherhithe, Surrey Quays and The Borough, although according to the legend of Dick Whittington the bells could also be heard from as far away as Highgate.[2] The association with Cockney and the East End in the public imagination may be due to many people assuming that Bow Bells are to be found in the district of Bow, rather than the lesser known St Mary-le-Bow church.
        Elaine







        Comment


        • #5
          This map shows the parishes, Cheapside is the road NW of St Pauls



          MAPCO Map And Plan Collection Online : Stanford's Map Of London Showing The Boundaries Of Parishes 1877.

          Comment


          • #6
            Thank you
            Jill, Maggie and Elaine

            Stepney a possible maybe then and I'll keep the others on my list


            thanks for the map link Jill


            ~ FOR PHOTO RESTORATIONS PLEASE SCAN AT A RESOLUTION OF 300-600 WITH THE SCALE AT 100% MINIMUM ~ http://restoreandcolour.brainwaving.co.uk

            Comment


            • #7
              This is an interesting one as my gg grandad was said to have been brought up near the sound of the bow bells but am yet to find out where he lived...

              Comment


              • #8
                Husband's maternal grandfather said he was born within the sound of Bow Bells. He was born in Stepney Green. But he may well have thought that Bow was the church when its the one in Cheapside.

                Again, it would depend on how quiet it was - no aircraft or traffic - and which way the wind blew.
                ~ with love from Little Nell~
                Chowns, Dunt, Emms, Mealing, Purvey & Smoothy

                Comment


                • #9
                  My 2greats grandfather was a true cockney - he was born in Whitechapel. Not that much traffic in the 1840s.
                  Kit

                  Comment

                  Working...
                  X