Bow, London

Description
Bow, a parish in Middlesex. The parish, which is also called Stratford-le-Bow, lies on the river Lea and on the North London and G.E.R., 4 miles ENE of St Paul's. The name Bow alludes to a bow-shaped, three-arched bridge across the Lea built by Matilda, the queen of Henry I., and not taken down till 1834; and the name Stratford alludes to a ford in the Lea, on the line of the Roman road or stratum to Leyton. A new bridge in lieu of the ancient one, with one oblique arch of 70 feet, was erected in 1839 at a cost of £11,000. Bow was once famous for cream and cakes; it also carried on an extensive manufacture of porcelain, and it had a notable annual fair which became so great a nuisance that it was suppressed by Parliament. It now has dyehouses, large breweries, and the East London Waterworks, and takes a character from the proximity of the India Docks. The parish was formerly a chapelry to Stepney, and became parochial in 1717. The living is a rectory in the diocese of London; net value, £350 with residence. Patron, the Bishop of London. The church was built in the time of Henry II., presents a curious mixture of Norman and Early English, and has a low tower and an eight-sided corner turret. The original parish has been divided into several ecclesiastical districts, viz.:£St Paul's, Old Ford; St Stephen's, North Bow; St Mark's, Victoria Park; and Christ Church, Bow.