Bow Bells are the bells of St. Mary-le-Bow Church in the City of London. By tradition, anyone born within the sound of Bow Bells is a Cockney, or true Londoner. There are 12 bells, which were first rung in 1961. The previous set of bells was destroyed in 1941 during the Blitz–that is, the bombing of London and other English cities during World War II. An earlier set of bells was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666.
