'Oranges and Lemons' is a well-known English Nursery Rhyme. Of
unknown origin, it is possible that the children of London made up
the words to fit the rhythm of the ringing bells.
Oranges and lemons
Say the bells of St Clements
You owe me five farthings
Say the bells of St Martins
When will you pay me?
Say the bells of Old Bailey
When I grow rich
Say the bells of Shoreditch
When will that be?
Say the bells of Stepney
I do not know
Says the great bell at Bow
Here comes a candle to light you to bed
Here comes a chopper to chop off your head
This series of caches is based on the bells mentioned in the
rhyme. Each of the first six form part of a single virtual
multicache. This will all lead to the final, real cache. From each
location you will be asked to note some information. This will form
the key to the location of the final cache which will be found
at
N 51 AB.CDE
W 000 FG.HJK
A lot of background information including details of the
churches mentioned can be found at the BBCi website.
You CAN do them in the same order as they are mentioned in the
rhyme but this will use a lot of shoe leather/petrol so I suggest
plotting a more logical sequence. The minimum travel distance is
about 6 miles so I suggest you buy an all day Travelcard (Zones
1&2) and use the tube/bus network. The final cache is some way
from the virtual ones although you might pass reasonably close
depending on the route you take!.
Question 1: Oranges and Lemons
N 51° 30.666 W 000° 05.222
(WGS-84)
Bells of St Clements
St Clements, Eastcheap, is a small church, only 64 feet long and
40 feet wide, and stands huddled between two office blocks. There
has been a church on the site since the 11th Century; the present
one is the third to be standing on the site. The original church
was demolished in the 15th Century, and the second was destroyed
during the Great Fire of London in 1666. It was rebuilt by Sir
Christopher Wren in 1687.
The church stands in St Clements Lane, in fact, the name of the
street comes from the church. It was previously known as Eastcheap.
The rhyme begins with this church because when the Thames was wider
than it is today, the wharf where the citrus fruit cargoes from the
Mediterranean were delivered lay just across the street. It is said
the church bells pealed when a cargo arrived.
High up you will see a notice that says "FP
Jft.
Make a note of Jfor the final cache.
Question 2: You owe me five
farthings
N 51° 30.651 W 000° 05.266
(WGS-84)
Bells of St Martins
St Martin Orgar church, near Cannon Street, lost its
congregation to St Clements church after the body of the church was
destroyed in the Great Fire. In 1670 the parish was officially
united with the parish of St Clements Eastcheap. The bell tower and
part of the nave survived, and the church was rebuilt and used by
French Protestants (Hugenots) until 1820, when all but the tower
was pulled down. This was rebuilt in 1851 as a rectory for St
Clements, and the old bell was rehung as a clock bell in a
projecting clock. Now used as offices, it is in Martin Lane, a
street that was once notorious for moneylenders.
On the clock mentioned above you will see a date
185G
Question 3: When will you pay
me
N 51° 30.975 W 000° 06.124
(WGS-84)
Bells of Old Bailey
St Sepulchre-without-Newgate is the largest church in the city
of London. Built around 1450, it was badly damaged in the Great
Fire and was rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren in 1670-1. The
historic tower holds the 12 bells of Old Bailey that were restored
in 1985. They had been there since 1739, having replaced bells
bought from the Priory Church of St Bartholomew in 1537.
Saint Sepulchre was not a person. The original Saxon church on
this site was dedicated to the King of East Anglia - St Edmund the
Martyr - and was called St Edmund-without-Newgate. At the time of
the Crusades, the church became known as 'St Edmund and the Holy
Sepulchre', and eventually became 'St Sepulchre' after the Holy
Sepulchre of Christ in Jerusalem.
The church's tenor bell in the bell tower was rung on mornings
when there was an execution in Newgate Prison (now the site of the
more well-known Old Bailey - the Central Criminal Court). The
church still has the 'Execution Bell' in a glass case. This is the
hand bell that was rung for other services concerning condemned
prisoners, including ringing it outside the condemned cell at
midnight. Newgate Prison acquired its own bell in 1783, and the
tenor bell was no longer used on execution mornings.
At the above co-ordinates you'll see an old
fashioned refreshment device. When was it was REMOVED
186H
Nearby there is a plaque on the church wall. On it
you will see that Ann Hill died E1Jan
18K7.
Question 4: When I grow rich
N 51° 31.625 W 000° 04.642
(WGS-84)
Bells of Shoreditch
St Leonard's church, on Kingsland Road, Shoreditch. Now part of
the London Borough of Hackney, it was founded in the 12th Century.
After collapsing during a service in 1716, the spire was rebuilt as
a copy of St Mary-le-Bow in Cheapside in the 1730s. The village
whipping post and stocks are still in the churchyard.
The area was known for its great poverty. The 'five
farthings' debt is centuries old, possibly from the Middle
Ages.
The nearest tube station to this cache is Shoreditch or Old
Street
At the above co-ordinates you'll see a a plaque on
the church wall. On it you will see that Mrs Mary Belt died
on 1 Oct 181F
Nearby at N 51 31.612, W 0 04.615 there is another
plaque. How far away lies the body of Mr Marshall
Purland? CAFeet.
Question 5: When will that
be
N 51° 31.018 W 000° 02.527
(WGS-84)
Bells of Stepney
St Dunstan and All Saints Church in Stepney, was built in 952 AD
by the Bishop of London St Dunstan, when the old wooden church that
previously occupied the site was knocked down. At the time, it was
dedicated to All Saints only, but St Dunstan was added in 1029
after he had been canonised. The present church dates from 1400,
but the chancel dates from 200 years earlier, and the font is about
1000 years old.
The church has ten bells, the oldest of which was recast in
1385.
The nearest tube station to this cache is Stepney Green
Above the main door you will see a ship. How many
masts does it have? The answer is D
Question 6: I do not know
N 51° 30.820 W 000° 05.646
(WGS-84)
Great bell at Bow
St Mary-le-Bow, in Cheapside, is also known as Bow Church. There
has been a church on the site since 1070. During the 14th Century a
curfew was rung on the Bow Bells every night at 9pm; probably the
origin of the tradition that anyone born within hearing distance of
Bow Bells ringing is a true Cockney.
Rebuilt from 1670 to 1682 by Sir Christopher Wren after it was
destroyed during the Great Fire, the name comes from the
architecture. There are bow arches in the Norman Crypt, which are
repeated in the arches of the steeple. Eight bells were cast for
the finished church. Bells were added over the years until it had
12. Destroyed again in 1941 during the blitz of World War II, only
the steeple, with its dragon weathercock and two outer walls, were
left standing. Restored between 1952 and 1962, the 12 bells were
recast and rehung.
The BBC used the peal of these bells at the start of each
broadcast to occupied Europe during World War II.
In the churchyard you will see a plaque to the poet
John Milton who was born in Bread Street on 9th Dec
16B8
You should now have all the information you need to substitute
the letters in the key to find the final cache. Good hunting!
