Route starts at Hyde Park Corner

 

Preamble

 

The exact date of the ancient children's rhyme is unknown.  There is a record of a square dance with the same name in 1665, but no record of the lyrics. The rhyme is the basis of the children's game Oranges and Lemons which culminates in chopping off of a head.

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And nobody knows for sure which churches are referred to, even the experts don’t agree.

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The rhyme

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Gay go up and gay go down

To Ring the Bells of London Town

 

"Oranges and Lemons" say the Bells of St. Clements 

"Bullseyes and Targets" say the Bells of St. Margaret's 

"Brickbats and Tiles" say the Bells of St. Giles

"Halfpence and Farthings" say the Bells of St. Martin's 

"Pancakes and Fritters" say the Bells of St. Peter's

"Two Sticks and an Apple" say the Bells of Whitechapel

"Maids in white aprons" say the Bells at St. Katherine's

"Pokers and Tongs" say the Bells of St. John's

"Kettles and Pans" say the Bells of St. Anne's 

"Old Father Baldpate" say the slow Bells of Aldgate 

"You owe me Ten Shillings" say the Bells of St. Helen's 

"When will you Pay me?" say the Bells of Old Bailey 

"When I grow Rich" say the Bells of Shoreditch 

"Pray when will that be?" say the Bells of Stepney 

"I do not know" say the Great Bell of Bow 

 

Gay go up and gay go down

To Ring the Bells of London Town

Here comes a candle to light you to bed, 

And here comes a chopper to chop off your head!

Chip chop chip chop the last man is dead

 

'Gay go up, gay go down' is a reference to colourful ‘sallies’ at the end of bell ringing ropes.

 

The last three lines must be pre-1783 as that is when Tyburn-tree was moved from Tyburn-gate (Marble Arch) to Newgate to reduce problems caused by the crowds, often exceeding 100,000, gathered along the 3-mile execution procession route.

 

The 'Bells of Old Bailey', or more accurately the tenor bell of St Sepulchre, was used prior to 1783 to time the executions but after the gallows had been moved, Newgate prison obtained its own bell.

 

STOP: Oranges and Lemons say the Bells of St. Clements 

LOCATION: Strand, just after leaving Aldwych

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Oranges and lemons refer to the cargo that was unloaded at the wharves on the river.  The boats would travel past The City limits as they could unload here without having to pay City taxes.

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St Clement Danes claims to be the church in the rhyme.  It's a neo-classical church with a tower by Christopher Wren and a steeple added by James Gibbs in 1719.  It was fully restored in 1958 after WW2 bombing, although the tower and steeple survived The Blitz.

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The bells of St Clement Danes have rung the rhyme only since 1919.​

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Danes colonised village of Aldwych here in the 9th century. At that time, England was half Danish.  It was Alfred the Great who drove the Danes out of the City and forced them to accept Christianity and build the first church on the site as a memorial to Danes massacred in the area. As seafaring people, the Danes named the church after patron saint of mariners.

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William Webb Ellis , who 'invented' rugby in 1823, was rector here. 

 

More recently it became the RAF Church and it has a book of remembrance with 150,000 names of lost RAF servicemen.

 

STOP: Kettles and pans say the bells of St Anne’s

LOCATION: Gresham Street

 

Kettles and Pans refer to the utensils sold by the coppersmiths who worked in this area.

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There has been a church on this site for a very long time.  Parish records got back to 1137. The joint dedication of St Anne's and St Agnes church was mentioned in a grant given by Westminster Abbey in 1467 and is the only double dedication in the City of London.

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The original church was devastated during the Great Fire of London in 1666 and the one her now was the eleventh church built by Sir Christopher Wren, although it was bombed in WW2 and required extensive reconstruction.  However, there is still some 14th century stonework in the steeple.  It is a Greek Cross design (square within a square).

 

​The last re-build funded by Lutherians and the church was used by Estonian and Latvian communities.  It now houses the Voces Cantabilis Music education project and there are only occasional services.​

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STOP: Brickbats and tiles say the bells of St Giles

LOCATION: St Giles Without Cripplegate - Barbican

 

The "Brickbats and Tiles" refers to the bricks and tiles used by nearby builders. Bricks were introduced to London by Judge Popham, who resided over the trial of Guy Fawkes immortalised in another well known nursery rhyme

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The early Saxon church here was replaced in 1090 by a Norman church.  That in turn was rebuilt in 1394 during the reign of King Richard II. The building escaped the Great Fire of London but was badly burnt in the Cripplegate Fire of 1897 and was hit by a bomb during World War II. 

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The origin of the name is the subject of some dispute. It could derive from Crepel-gate as Crepel was Anglo Saxon for a covered walkway.  Or it could be a reference to two crippled beggars who used to sit by the gate into The City.

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Oliver Cromwell was married in here in 1620.    ​

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STOP: When I grow rich say the bells of Shoreditch

LOCATION: Old Street, Hackney Road, Kingsland Road junction

 

There has been a Church on the site of St. Leonards since 12th Century. The current building is in the Palladian style and dates from 1736.  Its churchyard still holds earlier graves including those of many actors including William Shakespeare's friend and builder of the Curtain Theatre, Richard Burbage. The church was built as an imitation of Wren’s St Mary-le-Bow which we'll be visiting later in the ride.

 

It was frequented by Elizabethan actors as it was close to the first purpose built theatre called 'The Theatre' and also in close proximity to the 'Curtain Theatre' which were both here before all entertainment moved to Southwark in mid 16th century. 

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The village stocks and whipping post can be seen in the porch, and the Shoreditch pump is in the churchyard. And this was a very poor area of London, such that in 1774, the Shoreditch Vestry levied a special poor rate for the purpose of setting up a workhouse for the parish of St Leonard's which illustrates just how poor it was. 

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The hopeful phrase "When I grow rich" must have been echoed by many of the inhabitants of Shoreditch.

 

STOP: Pray, when will that be? say the bells of Stepney  

LOCATION: St Dunstan, Stepney

 

St Dunstan's has stood on this site since before 952AD, when a stone church was erected, replacing the previous wooden structure. The existing building is the third church to be built here and was erected in 1580 and is one of London’s largest medieval churches.

 

There are ten bells in the belfry, dating back to 1385, some which were made at the local Whitechapel Bell Foundry. 

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St Dunstan's has a long traditional link with the sea and it was once known as the 'Church of the High Seas'. Many sailors were buried in the churchyard. Sometimes the red ensign is flown from the tower.

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The phrase "When will that be?" could possibly refer to wives waiting for sailors to return from voyages with their fortunes, when their 'boat came in'. This was particularly relevant during the 16th and 17th centuries when many sailors were employed on Voyages of Discovery to the New World.

 

STOP: Two sticks and an apple say the bells of Whitechapel

LOCATION: Whitechapel Bell Foundry, junction of Whitechapel Road and Fieldgate Street

 

The bells of Whitechapel do not refer to a church but to the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. The Whitechapel Bell Foundry began life in 1570 during the reign of Elizabeth I.  It moved to its site on Whitechapel Road in 1739 and traded from the building until closure in the early 2020s.  

 

The Guinness Book of Records listed the foundry, one of only two left in the UK,  as Britain’s oldest manufacturer – having traded continuously for 446 years.

 

In 1752, the foundry cast the Liberty Bell for the city of Philadelphia and in 1856, it made Big Ben, although the bell cracked while being tested and was recast in 1858.

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More recently, the Whitechapel team designed the bell used at the start of the 2012 London Olympics but the 23-tonne structure was too big for its furnaces and was cast in the Netherlands. The foundry cast the bells used on the lead barge for the Queen’s Jubilee pageant on the Thames, also in 2012.  Specialist sales – largely church bells and musical handbells – formed the bulk of more recent business.

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The very last tower bell to be cast at the Whitechapel site went to the Museum of London

 

We are unable to trace the origins of "Two Sticks and an Apple" however the foundry produced hand bells - similar in shape to toffee apples - could be a connection. We also know that the transportation of bells to other parts of London drew great crowds and the atmosphere was similar to that of a fair where of course toffee apples were traditionally eaten.

 

STOP: Old Father baldpate say the slow bells of Aldgate 

LOCATION: Aldgate Foundry (opposite St Botolph Without)

 

Another reference to a foundry not the church.  The reference to "Old Father Bald Pate" relates to Saint Botolph. A bald pate was a colloquialism used to describe a bald-headed person.

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A Master Founder, called Robert Chamberlain, can be traced working here in 1420. In 1588 another Master Founder called Robert Mott, who worked for the Aldgate Foundry from 1574 to1606, recast one of the bells of the Church of St. Botolph's.

 

The Church of St. Botolph's is mentioned in records dating back to 1125. St. Botolph was a pious Saxon Abbot who built a monastery in Lincolnshire in 654AD.  Saint Botolph is the Patron Saint of Boston, Massachusetts. The name was taken as a derivative of "Botolph's town" which became known "Boston". 

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The current church was erected between 1725 and 1740 and dedicated to the Patron Saint of Travellers and Itinerants. It is aisled and galleried in the classic style, and is unique among the City churches in having its tower at the East End

 

The Church of St. Botolph's was known as the 'Prostitutes' church' because the ladies would solicit their trade in this area. 

Catherine Eddowes, a victim of the notorious Jack the Ripper was seen drunk in the vicinity of the church on the night of her murder on 30 September 1888. 

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St Botolph's was the first of the City burial grounds to be converted into a public garden​.

 

STOP: Maids in white aprons say the bells at St Katherine’s  

LOCATION: Leadenhall Street

 

"Maids in white aprons" refers to the costume of the women of the early 1600's who sold their wares in Leadenhall market round the corner, including meat, game, poultry and fish.  It was called Leadenhall as it was located, in the 14th century, around a great house which boasted a lead roof. 

 

The site of St Katherine Cree dates back to 1108 when it was served by the Augustan Priory of Holy Trinity and St Katharine Cree was established as a separate church in the 1200's. It is a significant church of the Jacobean period, a time when few new churches were built. Indeed it is the only Jacobean church to have survived in London. It took its name from the original priory as the word 'Cree' is an abbreviation of "Christ Church". 

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The body of the church was rebuilt in 1631 during the years preceding the Civil War, and is one of only eight churches in the City to survive the Great Fire of London. The glass in the east window is in the shape of a Catherine wheel and is contemporary with the rebuilding of the church in 1631. However, the tower dates from 1504.

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The market was used to represent the area of London near the Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley in the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) ​

 

TOILET STOP AT CAPITAL M HOTEL

 

STOP: Pokers and tongs say the bells of St Johns  

LOCATION: Tower of London

 

The Tower of London was used as a prison for many years and the "Pokers and Tongs" refer to the instruments of torture which were used there.

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The Chapel of St John The Evangelist is the oldest church in London and situated inside the Tower of London on the second floor of the White Tower. It was built in 1077 - 97 by William the Conqueror.  The chapel has survived complete from the early Norman period, whereas other Norman churches in England date from the mid-12th century.

 

A gruesome discovery was made under the stairs leading to the chapel. The remains of the bodies of the two Little Princes, thought to be Edward V and his younger brother Richard, Duke of York were found who were reputedly killed on the orders of their uncle the Duke of Gloucester, afterwards Richard III (although some scholars name Henry VII as the culprit). 

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STOP: Halfpence and farthings say the bells of St Martin’s  

LOCATION: Martin Lane, Eastcheap

 

“Half pence and farthings" relates to the moneylenders who traded nearby.

 

St Martin Orgar church, situated in Martin Lane was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. Only the bell tower, complete with the original bell survived and was rebuilt in 1851 as the campanile of St Clement. The old tower was replaced with a new tower. The new tower served as a rectory for St. Clement Eastcheap until it was sold and converted into offices in the 1970s

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Many of the old London churches were destroyed in the Great Fire of London. The fire started in Pudding Lane in the house and shop of Thomas Farynor who was baker to King Charles II. The King was aware of the risk of fire in baker's shops and ensured that this task was conducted away from the palaces. 

 

In the London of 1666 the medieval houses were half timbered, with pitch, and most had thatched roofs - the recipe for disaster in terms of fire risks.  The old St Paul's cathedral was destroyed in the fire together with 87 churches, including this one. 

 

A total of 13,200 houses were also destroyed but amazingly only six people were recorded as having died, but historians agree the true death toll would have been many more. 

 

Sir Christopher Wren, the great architect, was tasked with the reconstruction of London and built 49 new churches together with the great cathedral of St. Paul's over a period of 35 years. The city was not subject to re-planning and houses were replaced on exactly the sites of the buildings which were destroyed. To this day the City of London has largely the same street plan as it had in medieval times 

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STOP: Oranges and lemons say the bells of St Clements  

LOCATION: Clements Lane, off King William Street

 

The "Oranges and lemons" refer to the citrus fruits unloaded at the nearby wharves and this church is also a contender for the church referenced in the first line of the rhyme.

 

There have been three Churches on this site starting with the first in the 11th Century when the church is mentioned in a confirmation of grants to Westminster Abbey.  That church was rebuilt in the 15th Century but destroyed in the Great Fire. 

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This is  Christopher Wren church completed in 1687.​

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Eastcheap was one of the main streets of medieval London. The name derives from the Saxon word 'cheap', meaning a market.  Eastcheap was so called to distinguish it from Westcheap, later to become Cheapside. 

The "Oranges and lemons" refer to the citrus fruits unloaded at the nearby wharves.

 

STOP: Pancakes and fritters say the bells of St Peter’s  

LOCATION: Cornhill, close to junction with Bishopsgate

 

The reference to "Pancakes and Fritters" alludes to the wares which were sold to the local workers - the 'fast food' of old London!

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St Peter upon Cornhill stands on one of the most historic Christian sites in London. It dates back to AD179 when it was the site of the Roman basilica built by Lucius, the first Christian ruler of Britain.  The basilica was adjacent to the Roman forum  which we know was under Leadenhall market.

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The church stands on the highest point of the City of London.  The name Cornhill derives from the Corn Market which was situated there and also dated back to Roman times. 

 

An earlier church building is mentioned in records from 1552 - its bell was faulty and Robert Mott, Master Founder of the Aldgate Foundry, was casting a new bell. It was hung in the steeple but shortly after the church was destroyed in the Great Fire of London and subsequently rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren in 1687. ​

 

STOP: You owe me ten shillings say the bells of St Helen’s  

LOCATION: Great St Helens / Bishopsgate

 

A Benedictine nunnery originally formed part of the church which dates back to 1210.  The church was originally divided down the centre so the nunnery was separate from the parish church.  In 1538 the nunnery was surrendered to King Henry VIII during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. 

 

​Among the nuns, there were occasional disagreements and transgressions. For example, in 1385, a nun named Joan Heyronne, suffering from gout, convinced the pope to provide her with a yearly ten pound allowance to support her. Her prioress, Constance, responded to the news by locking Joan in her room with minimal food until the dean and chapter of St Paul’s intervened.

 

Around 1432, a prioress was also reprimanded for owning too many dogs, while in 1385, nuns were reprimanded for kissing secular persons.

 

Judging from this documentary evidence, the level of devotion among the nuns to their vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience likely waxed and waned.

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The convent buildings and land was acquired in 1543 by the Leathersellers' Company. The church was frequented by many rich merchants who lived in the area. These included a Mercer called Sir John "Rich" Spencer. He became Lord Mayor of London in 1594 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.  

 

As his nickname indicates he was extremely wealthy as well as being very mean. He also operated as a money lender and explains the reference "You owe me Ten Shillings" in the rhyme. 

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St Helen's is the largest surviving parish church in the City of London.

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STOP: Bullseyes and targets say the bells of St Margaret’s   

LOCATION: Lothbury, at the rear of the Bank of England

 

The "Bullseyes and Targets" refer to archery which was practised in the nearby fields. In 1363 King Edward III had commanded the obligatory practice of archery on Sundays and holidays.  This tradition continued, ensuring the safety of the Realm, until Bows were replaced with guns.

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St. Margarets was founded in 1197 but the original church burned down in 1440. The second church was destroyed in the Great Fire of London of 1666 but rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren in 1690. The area was populated with coppersmiths in the Middle Ages before later becoming home to a number of merchants and bankers.

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Mervyn King was a recent Governor of the Bank of England.  When he retired he was made a life peer and now has the title The Lord King of Lothbury. Splendid!

 

STOP: I do not know says the great bell of Bow  

LOCATION: Cheapside, by Bow Churchyard

 

There has been a church on this site dating back to before the arrival of the Normans in 1066. In 1469 the first reference to Bow bells were made in relation to the building of the steeple. In 1631 the poet John Donne died and left a bequest for the upkeep of Bow bell. John Donne wrote the famous poem 'For whom the bell tolls' (No man is an island).

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The current building was built by Sir Christopher Wren between 1670 and 1680, after the Great Fire of London destroyed the previous church.

 

Dick Whittington, who the famous children's story and pantomime is based on, was a real person (1350 - 1423). He was a Mercer (a dealer in cloth) and was elected Lord Mayor of London four times. In the children's story Dick Whittington leaves London with his cat but is called back by the sound of the ringing of Bow bells.

 

The Bow bells are important to the traditions of London and it is said that to be a true cockney you must be born within hearing distance of the sound Bow bells. Based on this fact there were no Cockneys born between May 1941 (when the bells were destroyed in a World War II German air raid) and December 1961 (when the Bells rung for the first time after 20 years of restoration work). 

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Ordinarily, distances by road from London are now measured from Charing Cross but, before the late 18th century, they were measured from the London Stone in Cannon Street, or the Standard in Cornhill. However, on the road from London to Lewes, the mileage is taken from the church door of St Mary-le-Bow. To note the reference point used, mileposts along the way are marked with the rebus in cast-iron of a bow and four bells.

 

STOP: When will you pay me say the bells of Old Bailey?  

LOCATION: Giltspur Street, junction with Old Bailey

 

The phrase "When will you pay me?" refers to the Debtors housed in Newgate Prison and those tried at the Old Bailey.

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The Old Bailey did not have its own bell - the rhyme refers to the bells of St. Sepulchre-without-Newgate church and the bell of the nearby Newgate prison. 

 

St. Sepulchre-without-Newgate is the largest church in the City of London and was sited opposite London's courthouse and the infamous Newgate prison which housed both criminals and debtors. The bell of St. Sepulchre marked the time (death knell) of imminent executions until Newgate prison acquired its own bell. 

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Founded in 1137, the church was originally called St Edmund-King-and-Martyr but the name was changed during the Crusades to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as it was the meeting point for the Knights embarking on a crusade.  The church was destroyed by the Great Fire of London and rebuilt by Wren in 1671. 

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The medieval courthouse of London was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666 and was replaced by London's Central Criminal Court which was used during 1673 -1834.  The local name for the court was the 'Old Bailey’, so-called after the street in which it was located Bailey Street) which was right next to Newgate Prison. 'Death Row' inmates would be informed by the Bellman of St. Sepulchre by candle light 'here comes the candle to light you to bed', at midnight outside their cell on the Sunday night prior to execution, by the ringing of the 'Execution Bell' (a large hand bell) and the recitation of the following :

 

All you that in the condemned hole do lie, 

Prepare you for tomorrow you shall die; 

Watch all and pray: the hour is drawing near 

That you before the Almighty must appear; 

Examine well yourselves in time repent, 

That you may not to eternal flames be sent. 

And when St. Sepulchre's Bell in the morning tolls 

The Lord above have mercy on your soul.

 

The executions commenced at nine o'clock Monday morning following the first toll of the tenor bell. ​

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The ride ends at the cafe in Russell Square