Bow, Middlesex

Historical 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.

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.

Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Bow from the following:

• Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Bow, or Stratford-Le-Bow (St. Mary))

Land and Property

A full transcript of the Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Middlesex is online.

Maps

Online maps of Bow are available from a number of sites:

• Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
• Google Streetview.
• National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
• OpenStreetMap.
• old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
• Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
• A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)