Oranges & Lemons. Say the bells of St Clements
St Clement Danes stands on the Strand opposite the Royal Courts of Justice. The current church was designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1687 with the rebuilding of London after the Great Fire of 1666. It is said that the church was built by Danes that had been expelled from the City of London by Alfred the Great. The line in the poem refers to the traders unloading their wares on the nearby wharves along the Thames and so this is where all the exotic fruits would have entered the city. Interestingly, the bells of St Clements ring to the tune of Oranges & Lemons and on the 3rd Thursday of March, Oranges and Lemons Day, the children of the attached primary school attend a service at the church after which they are given an orange and a lemon. If you look up the strand towards Trafalgar Square you will see, on the left, the abandoned Strand (Aldwych) tube station. The tube station was used during the Second World War to store treasures from the British Museum (including the Elgin Marbles) during the Blitz.Also, almost directly opposite the tube station is one of the last remaining Sand Bins. These were used during the Victorian period to muffle the sound of the horses' hooves and to help remove the smell of horse urine!
You owe me 5 farthings. Say the bells of St Martin's
Unfortunately, all that is left of St Martin's Orgar is the bell tower and its bell, now attached to the church of St Clement's, Eastcheap. The church was damaged during the Great Fire but was repaired. All but the tower was however demolished in the early 19th century. The line in the poem refers to the moneylenders that used to work nearby.If you look up King William Street above the roofs, you will see the Monument to commemorate the Great Fire of 1666 situated very close to Pudding Lane where the fire started.
When will you pay me? Say the bells of Old Bailey
'The Bells of Old Bailey' refers to the church of St Sepulchre Without Newgate. The current church was rebuilt in 1671 after the Great Fire in 1666 and is the biggest in the City of London. This church stands opposite the Old Bailey and the site of the Newgate debtors' prison, hence the line "when will you pay me?". Before Newgate got its own bell, the bell of St Sepulchre was wrung to announce imminent executions. If you turn around, you can see the iconic statue of Lady Justice standing on top of the Old Bailey holding the sword of retribution in one hand and the scales of justice in the other.
When I grow rich. Say the bells of Shoreditch
St Leonard's on Shoreditch High Street is one of London's oldest religious sites. At the time of the nursery rhyme, Shoreditch was a very poor area of London and so the line "when I grow rich" is rather hopeful, ironic or impossible depending on your interpretation.During the Elizabethan period, the area was popular with artists, such as William Shakespeare and Robert Burbage (who is buried here), as it lay close to London's first-purpose built theatre, imaginatively called 'The Theatre".
When will that be? Say the bells of Stepney
St Dunstan's on Stepney High Street is the site of another very old church. As a plaque at the entrance states, St Dunstan dedicated a church here to All Saints over 1000 years ago. The current church is the third on the site and is one of the main churches serving the East End. Due to its proximity to the Thames it became known as the Church of the High Seas and as a result a red ensign, the flag of the merchant navy, is still flown from the bell tower. The line in the poem refers to the wives and families of sailors who would pray in the church for their safe return. At the time, sailors could be gone for years at a time and so there was no knowing when or if they would return with their earnings.St Dunstan's has 10 bells, some of which were made as long ago as 1385. Others were made at the nearby Whitechapel Foundry (which closed in 2017 after more than 450 years) which also made the Liberty Bell and Big Ben.
I do not know. Says the great bell of Bow
The great bell of Bow refers to the church of St Mary-Le-Bow on Cheapside. There has been record of a church at this location for almost 1000 years. Another design of Sir Christopher Wren, this church is considered to be one of the most important in London, after St Paul's Cathedral and was as a result one of the first to be rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666. The great bell of Bow is said to have convinced Dick Whittington to return home by telling him that he would one day become mayor. Dick Whittington was a real historical person and was made mayor 4 times. Also, only those born in hearing distance of Bow bells can call themselves Cockneys.
Here comes a candle to light you to bed
This line refers to the rather grim tradition of the bellman from St Sepulchre walking from the church to Newgate prison at midnight on Sunday to inform the prisoner, by candlelight, of their imminent execution. They prisoner would then be led the 3 miles to Tyburn (now Marble Arch). The only remaining piece of wall of Newgate prison is located in Amen Court just off Ave Maria Lane. These lanes mark the route of the procession of monks to St Paul's on feast days. Amen Court is a private road but the wall can still be viewed through the gate from Ave Maria Lane.
And here comes the chopper to chop off your head
Condemned prisoners were led from Newgate Prison to Tyburn to be executed. Thousands of people would line the streets to watch the procession and gather to watch the execution. It became a spectator sport as the condemned were expected to make an effort by putting on their finest clothes for example. The crowd would cheer a 'good dying' i.e. with a lack of struggle, protest and concern or jeer at signs of fear or weakness.In the junction between what is now Oxford Street and Edgeware Road there is a plaque reading "The Site of Tyburn Tree" the name given to the gallows constructed in this location. The first recorded execution was William Fitz Osbert (or William with the Long Beard) in 1196 for instigating a popular uprising in London. The last was in 1783 when the highwayman, John Austin was hanged. The most famous person to be hanged at Tybrun was Oliver Cromwell who, nearly 3 years after his death and burial at Westminster Abbey, was disinterred and hanged for treason.
