---
title: "St Mary le Bow, City of London"
description: "Located in City of London, Greater London. Built 1670–83; restored 1956–64. Diocese of London. Grade I. Wren Baroque style."
category: "Church"
tags: ["Church","Baptist & United Reformed Church","Greater London","Church of England","City of London","Grade I","Christopher Wren","Bow Bells"]
canonical: "https://thebritishgazette.com/post/st-mary-le-bow-city-london"
pubDate: "2026-09-06T01:29:45.498Z"
dateModified: "2026-09-07T14:53:18.837Z"
location: "City of London, Greater London"
country: "England"
county: "Greater London"
town: "City of London"
address: "Cheapside, City of London, Greater London, EC2V 6AU"
postcode: "EC2V 6AU"
built: "1670–83; restored 1956–64"
consecrated: "1964 (reconsecration after wartime restoration)"
architect: "Christopher Wren; Laurence King (post-war restoration)"
denomination: "Baptist & United Reformed Church"
dedications: ["Mary"]
diocese: "London"
grade: "I"
style: "Wren Baroque"
materials: "Red brick with Portland stone dressings; twelfth-century crypt"
website: "http://www.stmarylebow.co.uk/"
openingHours: "Monday to Wednesday: 7.30am to 6pm. Thursday: 7.30am to 6.30pm. Friday: 7.30am to 4pm. Usually open on weekends and bank holidays, please enquire the preceding day."
parish: "St Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside"
listEntryUrl: "https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1064696"
gridReference: "TQ 323 811"
accessNotes: "Accessible toilets in church. Level access to the main areas"
---

# St Mary-le-Bow, City of London

St Mary-le-Bow on Cheapside is a Grade I City church by Sir Christopher Wren, famous for Bow Bells and a twelfth-century crypt beneath the post-Fire rebuilding.

## Overview

A medieval church on this site burned in the Great Fire of 1666. Wren rebuilt it in 1670–83: a square body in red brick with Portland stone dressings, narrow aisles, and a tower and steeple facing Cheapside that is among his largest. Tradition holds that a Cockney is born within earshot of the bells; they also feature in the Dick Whittington story and ‘Oranges and Lemons’. The Luftwaffe gutted the interior in the Blitz and brought the bells down. Laurence King restored the church to Wren’s design in 1956–64; it was reconsecrated in 1964, having been listed Grade I in 1950 while still a shell. The Court of Arches historically sat here. A BBC recording of the bells has long served as a World Service interval signal.

## Further Information

- [St Mary-le-Bow](https://www.stmarylebow.org.uk/)
- [Historic England list entry 1064696](https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1064696)
- [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary-le-Bow)