The Lord Mayor of London, Alderman Cuthbert Ackroyd , appeals on behalf of the recasting of Bow Bells and the restoration of the historic Bell Tower in the Church of St. Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside
Contributions will be gratefully acknowledged and should be addressed to [address removed]
The Church of St. Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside, whose ' Big Bell of Bow' is mentioned in the children's nursery rhyme ' Oranges and Lemons' and is said to have been heard on Highgate Hill by Dick Whittington in 1375 calling him to turn again and seek his fortune in London, is being restored after the blitz of 1941. Since Elizabethan times every true Cockney claims to have been born ' within the sound of Bow Bells.'
This world-famous peal, which for over twenty-five years has been heard as the BBC's interval signal, is being recast from the original metal. Cockneys throughout the world and lovers of London everywhere are asked to support this appeal for funds to restore the City's best-known parish church.