Temple Bar

Temple Bar is the former west gate into the City of London, built between 1670 and 1672 by the master masons Joshua Marshall and Thomas Knight, with possible involvement of Sir Christopher Wren. It features 17th-century statuary by John Bushnell and was restored by architects Freeland Rees Roberts following its return to London in 2004.

Construction and Materials

The structure is built of white Portland stone with a brick and rubble core. It takes the form of a triple gate with a central segmental carriageway flanked by two semi-circular pedestrian arches, all with ribbed soffits and moulded springers.

Architectural Design

The two facades of the Bar are identical, composed of two orders of shallow pilasters. The lower storey features rusticated Tuscan pilasters without an entablature, while the upper storey displays Corinthian pilasters with a moulded architrave, plain frieze, egg and dart mouldings, and a dentil and astragal cornice. The lower storey is relatively plain with elongated voussoirs and a scroll-shaped keystone to the central arch, and plain keystones to the pedestrian arches. This simplicity contrasts with the upper storey, which is far more lavish in ornamental detail.

The pilasters create three bays. Within the centre bay is a round-headed window with a lugged surround and a cartouche bearing an oval shield. On the north facade this displays the cross of St George, whilst on the south it shows the royal arms with the motto of the Order of the Garter: "Honi soit qui mal y pense" (translated as "shame on him who thinks evil of it"). In the outer bays are niches above plain cartouches containing statues by John Bushnell: James I and a Queen on the north, and Charles I and Charles II on the south.

The upper storey is surmounted by a segmental pediment decorated with egg and dart mouldings and a dentil and astragal cornice. A plain tablet surrounded by garlands and flanked by cornucopiae adorns the pediment. Above the pedestrian arches, the upper storey is framed by two flamboyant volutes in the manner of a Baroque church facade. Next to these stand statues of beasts: two griffins on the north and a lion and a unicorn on the south.

The restored gates, with iron furniture on the north side, originated from Theobalds Park and date from the time of the Bar's installation in Hertfordshire. The statues of the four beasts on the parapet are new sculptures by Tim Crawley from Fairhaven of Anglesey Abbey. Despite these alterations and repairs, approximately 95 per cent of the structure is original.

Current Setting

Although Temple Bar appears to be joined to Juxon House and Paternoster Lodge, it is largely free-standing, though two high-tensile steel bars knit the Bar and the adjoining structures together. A modern bridge from Paternoster Lodge to the east, suspended above the parapet roof and hidden behind the parapet, provides access to the upper chamber. Neither Juxon House nor Paternoster Lodge is included in the listing.

Interior

A modern door in the east elevation opens into a single internal space with modern floor, ceiling, and fittings. The space is lit by four windows, one in each elevation. The north and south windows have leaded fanlights, whilst the east and west windows are oculi. The interior and fenestration of the upper chamber are entirely new, although they reuse the historical walls and openings. The first floor chamber is accessed from Paternoster Lodge to the east via a modern bridge above the flat leaded eastern roof.

Historical Background

Temple Bar was built in 1670–72 at the junction of Fleet Street and the Strand, marking the official boundary between the City of London and the City of Westminster. It replaced earlier structures on the site.

The first recorded barrier at this location dates to about 1183, taking its name from the adjacent 12th-century preceptory of the Knights Templar. By the mid-16th century, this older gate was causing traffic problems and falling into disrepair, though it was not until 1670–72 that the wooden structure was replaced by the current stone Temple Bar.

In 1662 a road widening act was passed and plans for a new Temple Bar advanced, although the City of London was reluctant to commit to the work on grounds of expense and perhaps suspicion of the King's motives. When Charles II offered £1,500 towards the rebuilding and demanded explanations from the Mayor as to the procrastination, the City had no choice but to oblige the monarch.

The design of Temple Bar has traditionally been attributed to Sir Christopher Wren, who was appointed Surveyor to the King's Works in 1668 or 1669 and had overarching responsibility for all royal building projects. The Bar and its statuary would have been among the first glimpses for the general London public of the new continental Baroque idiom.

Ceremonial Function

Temple Bar served an important ceremonial function given its unique position on the boundary between the City and Westminster. Monarchs would pause here to request permission to enter the City, receiving in turn the Sword of State from the Lord Mayor as a symbol of the City's loyalty. Iron spikes atop the Bar were used to display the heads or quarters of traitors, for the last time following the Jacobite uprising of 1745, leading to the Bar's popular nickname "City Golgotha". New gates were hung for Nelson's funeral in 1806 and the Bar was draped in black for Wellington's funeral in 1852.

Removal and Return

Calls for the demolition of Temple Bar began as early as 1766. In the 1860s, proposals for new law courts on the Strand, coupled with structural cracks, led to plans for demolition. The demolition, executed in January 1878 by workmen from Messrs Mowlem, Burt and Co, was carefully done with each stone individually numbered and then removed to a storage yard in Farringdon.

In 1887 Sir Henry Bruce Meux bought and transported the stones to his estate in Hertfordshire at a cost exceeding £10,000. The reconstruction of Temple Bar in 1888 was part of a wider scheme of aggrandisement of the house and park. Modifications were made to the structure including the addition of a lodge to its south-east corner and a buttress to the west to support the Bar, as well as a staircase to provide access to the upper chamber, which was used for dining and entertaining.

The condition of Temple Bar rapidly deteriorated, prompting discussions about its future. Since the early 1950s schemes to bring the Bar back to London were mooted, and in 1976 the Temple Bar Trust was established to pursue this goal. In 1999 a planning application to relocate Temple Bar to the new Paternoster Square development near St Paul's Cathedral was granted, subject to conditions relating to recording and reinstatement, and the work was completed in 2004. The structure was formerly a scheduled monument.

Significance

Temple Bar is designated at Grade I as a unique public structure of the 17th century connected with Britain's most famous architect, Sir Christopher Wren. It possesses utmost historic significance as the old boundary gate between the City of London and the City of Westminster, with strong ceremonial associations and service as a backdrop to pageantry and punishment rituals from 1672 to 1878. Architecturally, it is a notable example of a public monument in the proto-Baroque manner embellished with sculpture by the eminent sculptor John Bushnell. Temple Bar is now the only surviving City of London gateway. It has an interesting history of relocation to Hertfordshire and subsequent return to the capital, and considerable group value with Wren's St Paul's Cathedral.