Why Is There A Bell From East London In Manhattan’s Oldest Church?

Towards the bottom of Broadway in Manhattan, not far from Wall Street, you will find St Paul’s Chapel, the oldest surviving church building in in New York City. Duck inside and you will discover a rare little corner of calm amongst the frenetic energy of Manhattan. 

St Paul’s has a fascinating history, its story inextricably entwined with that of the country itself: its successes, tragedies and daily life. There is so much to see including one of the earliest depictions of the Great Seal of the United States, a rare surviving symbol of monarchy and even a bell from East London.

Origins

St Paul’s Chapel was constructed in 1766 as a ‘chapel of ease’ for the nearby Trinity Church. A chapel of ease was essentially an offshoot from the main church to accommodate a larger congregation and cater to those closer by. 

You can see a map of Manhattan in 1776, with St Paul’s Chapel circled. 

Today St Paul’s Chapel is in New York’s financial district, surrounded by soaring skyscrapers and the glass and steel of the modern city. When it was constructed however, it was briefly the tallest building in Manhattan. It is incredible to think what this chapel has witnessed, whilst remaining almost entirely unchanged.

Trinity Church itself can be found a few blocks further down Broadway, founded in 1698. It was however rebuilt in 1790 after burning down in the Great Fire of New York in 1776 and then rebuilt again in its current form in 1846. 

The Great Fire Of New York

Yes, New York also had a Great Fire. The Great Fire of New York took place on the 20th September 1776 during the British occupation of the city in the American Revolutionary War. Somewhere between 10-25% of the city’s buildings were burnt to the ground.

St Paul’s Chapel remarkably survived due to the efforts of a line citizens with buckets and a fortuitous change in wind direction. New York ended up having two more ‘Great Fires’ in 1835 and 1845. 

George Washington’s Chapel

On 30th April 1789, George Washington became the first President of the United States of America after taking his oath at the nearby Federal Hall. 

The rebuild of Trinity Church had not yet been completed and so, after the ceremony, Washington walked to St Paul’s Chapel, accompanied by Martha Washington and members of Congress, for a special service.

He then continued to attend services here until August 1790 while New York City served as the nation’s capital. 

There is a plaque marking the connection with Washington and a commemoration service held for the centennial of his death in 1899. Washington’s pew was once located just underneath where this plaque is located.

Next to that is painting of the Great Seal of the USA, commissioned in 1785. It is one of the earliest known depictions and is the first in full colour. The bird is depicted as an eagle, but not the bald eagle of later depictions. It does also however look vaguely turkey-like. This may be because a turkey was initially considered as the choice for the national bird. 

The New York Seal

Speaking of seals, they also have a depiction of the Great Seal of New York State, from the late 1700s. At the bottom is the state’s motto ‘Excelsior’, meaning ‘ever upwards’. 

Allegorical figures represent Liberty and Justice. Justice is blindfolded representing the judicial system’s impartiality. Liberty you will notice has her foot over a crown, representing the nation’s hard fought independence from the British monarchy. 

A Rare Symbol of Royalty

There is however a very rare surviving royal symbol in St Paul’s. If you look closely at the pulpit you will notice a little sculpture of a crown right at the top.

The pulpit and sounding board above it are both original to the 1766 construction. All other symbols of royalty were torn down and destroyed during the Revolution and subsequent years.

The Altarpiece 

The altarpiece is also worth paying attention to. It was created out of wood in 1787 by Major Pierre Charles L’Enfant. L’Enfant is the man who would later go on to layout Washington DC. 

His ‘L’Enfant Plan’ combined a traditional gridiron street system with grand diagonal avenues and open public spaces, drawing inspiration from European cities such as Paris. 

Unfortunately he often clashed with federal commissioners and was dismissed by George Washington in 1792 due to insubordination and budget disputes. L’Enfant died in relative poverty in 1825 but was recognised decades later in 1909. He was reinterred with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery, overlooking the city he designed.

The Little Chapel That Stood

225 years after the chapel escaped the Great Fire of New York, another tragedy struck New York. 

St Paul’s Chapel, as you may have seen from the map at the top of the post, is less than 100 yards from the World Trade Centre. 

After the terrorist attack of 9th September 2001 when the two towers of the World Trade Centre collapsed, St Paul’s Chapel emerged covered in ash and debris, but unbelievably completely unscathed, bar one cracked pane of glass. It became known as ‘The Little Chapel That Stood’.

Many credit a large century-old sycamore tree that had stood in the corner of the churchyard and absorbed the blast and the flying debris. The impact sadly uprooted and severely damaged the sycamore and it had to be cut down and removed. 

In the aftermath of the attacks, the chapel therefore ended up serving as a round-the-clock rest and relief centre for rescue and recovery workers. It carried out this role for around nine months.

Offerings And Tokens Of Support

All around the interior of the chapel are some really moving mementos. There are banners expressing support and notes written by school children to the firefighters and rescue workers. 

Below is a communion chalice crafted from steel salvaged from the World Trade Center ruins, by Jessica Lee Ives. It is supported by a wooden base representing the historic sycamore tree. 

This iron memorial cross was similarly made from remnants of the World Trade Centre by David Munn and Frederic Crist at the request of their friend Scott Murray, a tugboat captain who had helped in the rescue efforts. 

Below is the Vestment of Unity, a robe worn by volunteer clergy during services in the months following 9/11. It is covered with patches from police officers, firefighters and other rescue workers. 

Multi-coloured origami cranes, or senbazuru, arrived from school children and other groups across Japan, including survivors of the World War Two bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 

The Bell of Hope

Directly outside the main entrance to the church you will find the Bell of Hope.

This was presented to the chapel in September 2002 by the City of London to honour the victims of the attacks. The bell was cast at the historic Whitechapel Bell Foundry, the place that also cast Big Ben and the Liberty Bell.

The Whitechapel Bell Foundry closed in 2017 after nearly 450 years of operation and sits tragically empty and neglected. The London Bell Foundry not for profit was set up to try and acquire the building. 

The Link To St Mary-Le-Bow

The Bell of Hope was specifically by St Mary-le-Bow on Cheapside, the sister church of Trinity Church and St Paul’s Chapel. They became linked back in 1697 when King William III issued the charter for Trinity Church, stating that its vestry, constitution, and statutes were modelled after and given the same privileges as those of St Mary-le-Bow. 

In 1914 a stone from the crypt of St Mary-le-Bow was placed in Trinity Church to commemorate the 1697 charter. 

After St Mary-le-Bow was heavily damaged during the London Blitz, Trinity Church provided financial support for its rebuilding. A salvaged cherub from the ruins was gifted to Trinity Church as a token of appreciation. St Mary-le-Bow’s bells, the famous ‘Bow Bells’, crashed to the ground in the Blitz. They were subsequently recast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in the 1950s, ringing again since 1961. 

The Bell of Hope is inscribed with “To the Greater Glory of God And in Recognition of The Enduring Links Between The City of London And The City of New York”. “Forged in adversity—11 September 2001,”. The words sit above a bronze base featuring a pre-2001 map of the World Trade Center Twin Towers.

The USA’s First Public Memorial

One final detail I would recommend looking out for can be found outside the chapel. This is the monument to General Richard Montgomery, the United States’ first ever public monument and national memorial, commissioned by the US Continental Congress in January 1776. 

It honours Major General Richard Montgomery, who was killed in 1775 during the Battle of Quebec. His remains were moved from Canada and reinterred directly beneath the monument in 1818.

I hope this has persuaded you to visit if you ever find yourself in New York City!

St Paul’s Chapel is usually open daily from 8.30am-6pm. You can find out more here.

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