shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileUnited Kingdom

on Cheapside, in the City of London

St Mary-le-Bow

Name: St Mary-le-Bow — on ceramic tile, by WenderVista
Brand: WenderVista

— the bells that name a Londoner.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.

— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand

— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines

— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall

— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround

— a note from the studio

“A Wren church on Cheapside, rebuilt after the Great Fire and again after the Blitz. The bells of St Mary-le-Bow have defined the City for centuries; tradition holds that anyone born within their sound is a Cockney. The white Portland stone steeple, completed in 1680, is one of Wren's finest, and still rings the hours above the lunch traffic.

from the studio

— bring it home

St Mary-le-Bow, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?

One tile — square or rectangle.

How big?

the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand

6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb

Surface finish

A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.

How it sits

A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.

$58

Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.

— size

6 × 6 in

15 cm

— weighs

1.6 lb

solid in the hand

— surface

ceramic, hand-finished

art rests beneath a thin glossy finish

— from

Knoxville, TN

our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies

— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about St Mary-le-Bow

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.

— the place

St Mary-le-Bow stands on Cheapside, the principal east-west street of the City of London, a few minutes' walk from St Paul's Cathedral. The current building was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and constructed between 1671 and 1680 to replace the medieval church destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. The church takes its name from the Norman crypt below, whose stone bows or arches survived the fire. The crypt remains accessible and houses the Court of Arches, the ecclesiastical court of the Province of Canterbury.

— informed by Wikipedia

— the stone

Wren built the steeple in Portland stone in three diminishing stages topped by a copper-clad spire, completed in 1680. The steeple stood at 224 feet on completion and remains one of the tallest of the City's Wren towers. The body of the church was gutted in a Luftwaffe raid on the night of 10 May 1941, leaving only the walls and the lower stages of the tower. Restoration by Laurence King ran from 1956 to 1964, recasting the bells and rebuilding the interior to Wren's plan with modern stained glass.

— informed by Historic England listing

— the year

The bells run a full ringing schedule through the year, with regular Sunday peals and special peals for civic occasions. The recording of Bow Bells used by the BBC World Service was made in the church before the 1941 bombing and continued in use afterwards. The Cockney tradition, that a Londoner born within hearing of the bells is a Cockney, dates at least to the seventeenth century. The Centre for Spirituality and the City, based at the church, runs a midweek lunchtime programme of music and quiet reflection.

— informed by St Mary-le-Bow

— where

United Kingdom · City of London, England

— elevation

15 m · 49 ft

— position

51.5141° N · 0.0934° W

— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.

0.4 km W

St Paul's Cathedral

Wren cathedral

0.4 km N

Guildhall

civic hall

0.5 km E

Bank of England

central bank

St Mary-le-Bow

St Paul's Cathedral

Guildhall

Bank of England

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about St Mary-le-Bow — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

Sir Christopher Wren designed the rebuilt church after the Great Fire of 1666 destroyed the medieval building. Construction ran from 1671 to 1680, with the Portland stone steeple completed in 1680.

Bow Bells are the bells of St Mary-le-Bow on Cheapside. Tradition holds that anyone born within their sound is a Cockney. The current ring was recast during the 1956 to 1964 restoration.

The Court of Arches is the ecclesiastical court of the Province of Canterbury. It takes its name from the Norman crypt's stone arches beneath St Mary-le-Bow, where the court historically sat.

Yes. A Luftwaffe raid on the night of 10 May 1941 gutted the church, leaving only the walls and lower tower standing. Laurence King's restoration ran from 1956 to 1964 to a plan respecting Wren.

The Portland stone steeple stood at 224 feet, or about 68 metres, on completion in 1680. It remains one of the tallest of Wren's City of London church towers and still rings the hours.

The church stands on the south side of Cheapside in the City of London, about four minutes' walk east of St Paul's Cathedral and a similar distance west of Bank station on the Underground.

— about the piece in your home

For a true Cockney, or anyone with City of London ties, the tile carries the specific landmark. A Small for a hallway shelf or a Medium for a home office both read well above a desk.

The Portland stone tones and stained-glass blues suit traditional and transitional interiors, English country rooms, and gallery walls built around heritage prints. It pairs well with dark walnut and chalk-white plaster.

Yes. The current shift in British interiors toward specific local landmarks over generic London skylines favours this kind of single-church image. It anchors a wall the way a framed map once did.

A single Large carries a sofa wall on its own. A 4-tile Mural extends along a longer console, and a 9-tile Mural suits a tall hallway where the steeple can run vertically.

Yes. Choose the Dura Satin or Matte finish for kitchen splashbacks or bathroom walls. Both resist scratches and moisture without dulling the cool grey range of the Portland stone.

A soft microfibre cloth and plain water are enough for regular cleaning. Avoid abrasive pads and acidic sprays. The colour lives inside the ceramic surface and will not fade with normal care.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to the studio and hand-finished in Knoxville, Tennessee. We do not license imagery from outside artists. Each tile is composed individually.

— if this one stayed with you

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