Conversation:

Oranges & lemons have long been associated with St Clement Danes Church. Following a legacy by Edward Halsted in 1730 oranges were given to the children on New Years Day and other major celebrations. In 1920 the rector, Rev William Pennington-Bickford, instigated a special service to mark the restoration of the bells & carillion at which local children would be presented with an orange & lemon. This became a regular and popular (600 children in 1921!) event until the Second World War when Pennington-Bickford died, the church was blitzed and lemons were unobtainable. The church was restored as the RAF church in 1957 and the tradition revived in 1959, with fruit initially flown in from RAF bases in Cyprus. The annual service is still held and attended by children from St Clement Danes School.
This information comes from one of a series of articles about St Clement Danes School that appeared in the 'In & Around Covent Garden' magazine.

There's more info on the church in this entry - A660269

Editorial Note: This conversation has been moved from ''Oranges and Lemons' - The Nursery Rhyme' to ''Oranges and Lemons' - The Nursery Rhyme'.