Here's the orginal Bow Bells that all true London Eastend Cockneys are supposed to be born within the sound of to call themselves a Cockney. I got interupted so didn't manage to video side 2,but will do this when time permits.
St Mary-le-Bow (/lə ˈboʊ/) is a historic church rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666 by Sir Christopher Wren in the City of London[2] on the main east–west thoroughfare, Cheapside.
The sound of the bells of St Mary's is prominent in the story of Dick Whittington and His Cat,[3] in which the bells are credited with having persuaded him to turn back from Highgate and remain in London to become Lord Mayor.[4] The bells are also referred to in the nursery rhyme "Oranges and Lemons"; traditionally, people born within earshot of Bow Bells are considered to be "Cockney."
Much of the current building was destroyed by a German bomb during the Blitz on 10 May 1941,[22] during which fire the bells crashed to the ground. Restoration under the direction of Laurence King[23] began in 1956 (with internal fittings by Faith-Craft, part of the Society of the Faith). The bells as listed above, cast in 1956, were eventually installed to resume ringing in 1961. The church was formally reconsecrated in 1964, having achieved designation as a Grade I listed building on 4 January 1950.[1][24]
In the church is a memorial to members of the Norwegian resistance who died in the Second World War, which is in two parts; a commemorative plaque and a relief of Saint George and the Dragon by Ragnhild Butenschøn.
In the churchyard is a statue of Captain John Smith of Jamestown, founder of Virginia and former parishioner of the church.
.A Cockney is a certain type of Londoner. The term mainly refers to speakers of the distinctive Cockney dialect of English used in and around London, particularly by the working and lower-middle classes; especially people from the East End,[1][2][3] or, traditionally, people born within earshot of Bow Bells.[4][5]
