Bow Church

This drawing of St Mary-le-Bow on Cheapside was engraved for Thomas Hosmer Shepherd's London in the Nineteenth Century (1829) where it earned a long description praising its fine architecture. St Mary's was one of the first churches rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire and is famous for its bells, which play an important part in London folklore. Their sound is credited with persuading Dick Whittington to return to the city to become Lord Mayor, and tradition dictates that to be a true cockney one must be born within the sound of Bow Bells. This drawing is also of interest as it depicts crowds lining the street to watch the procession of the Lord Mayor of London's coach.