Mary Clarke’s yard, Gravel lane.†
St. Mary Colechurch, stood in the Poultry, at the south west corner of the Old Jewry, in Cheap ward, and owed its additional epithet of Colechurch, to one Cole, its founder: but suffering the fate of most of the other public buildings in 1666, and not being rebuilt, the parish was united to the neighbouring church of St. Mildred. Stow.
St. Mary of Grace, an abbey of Cistertian monks, founded in the reign of Edward III. on Tower hill, where the victualling office is now situated.
Mary Gray’s yard, Gravel lane.†
St. Mary la Bonne, thus called from its being supposed to signify St. Mary the Good; though its original name, according to Maitland, was Maryborne. This gentleman gives the following account of the rise of this village, which is now almost united to this great metropolis: the village of Tyborne going to decay, and its church, named St. John the Evangelist, left alone by the side of the highway, it was robbed of its books, vestments, bells, images, and other decorations; on which the parishioners petitioned the Bishop of London for leave to take down their old, and erect a new church elsewhere, which being readily granted in the year 1400, they erected a new church where they had some time before built a chapel, and that structure being dedicated to the Virgin Mary, received the additional epithet of Borne, from its vicinity to the neighbouring brook or bourn.
This village, if it may be still called by that name, is almost joined by new buildings to this metropolis; and the new buildings this way are now increasing so very fast, that it will undoubtedly in a very short time be quite joined, and become a part of it. The old church, which was a mean edifice, was pulled down, and a one erected in 1741. This structure is built with brick in as plain a manner as possible. It has two series of small arched windows on each side, and the only ornaments are a vase at each corner, and a turret at the west end. There are here also a French meeting-house, a charity school, and a place of public entertainment, which has a pleasant garden, and a band of vocal and instrumental music. This may be considered as a kind of humble imitation of Vauxhall.
St. Mary le Bow, near the corner of Bow lane in Cheapside, received the epithet le Bow, from its being the first church in this city built with arches: for so early as in the time of William the Conqueror a church of the same name stood in this place; a massy Gothic pile, decorated with lofty arches, which the vulgar of that time called bows, and this name has been continued through all its succeeding changes. Here the court of Arches used to meet, and from these arches received its name. Stowe.
In the history of the ancient edifice we find, that in the year 1271, a great number of people were destroyed, and many more maimed by the falling of the steeple, after which it remained without one till the year 1512, when it was finished upon the old plan, with stone brought from Caen in Normandy; and thus continued till it was destroyed with the other buildings in the city, by the fire in 1666.
The present edifice, which was built by the great Sir Christopher Wren, was finished in 1673, and is a handsome structure, chiefly admired for the elegance of its steeple, which is extremely light in its aspect, and though very high and full of openings, is secure from any second fall by the geometrical proportion and lightness of its several parts. It is thought to be the most beautiful thing of its kind in Europe.
The tower is square from the ground, and in this form rises to a considerable height; but with more ornament as it advances. The principal decoration of the lower part is the entrance, which is a lofty, noble, and well-proportioned arch, on two of the sides faced with a bold rustic, and raised on a plain solid course from the foundation. Within the arch is a portal of the Doric order; the freeze ornamented with trigliphs, and with sculpture in the metopes; over this arch is an opening with a small balcony, which answers to a window on the other face. The first stage is terminated by an elegant cornice, over which again rises a plain course, where a dial projects into Cheapside. Above this is in each face, large arched windows, with coupled Ionic pilasters at the sides, near the corners. The cornice over these windows supports an elegant balustrade, with Attic pillars over the Ionic columns, supporting turrets, each composed of four handsome scrolls, which join at the top, where are placed urns with flames.