Temple Bar Gate

Temple Bar Gate stands at the western edge of the City of London where Fleet Street meets The Strand. It once marked the ceremonial boundary between the City of London and Westminster. In the Middle Ages the City’s authority stretched beyond its walls, and barriers called ‘bars’ controlled trade and travel. The gate’s name comes from the nearby Temple Church, built by the Knights Templar. For centuries it stood on the royal route from the Tower of London to Westminster Palace. Monarchs paused here so the Lord Mayor could present the Sword of State as a sign of loyalty. The present stone arch was designed by Sir Christopher Wren between 1669 and 1672 after the old timber gate survived the Great Fire. It is built of Portland stone with a wide central arch for coaches and two smaller arches for pedestrians. Four statues on the upper storey celebrate the 1660 Restoration of Charles II. During the 18th century traitors’ heads were displayed on its roof, as they were on London Bridge. By the 19th century the gate had become a traffic bottleneck and was dismantled in 1878, its 2,700 stones carefully stored. Today Wren’s arch rises again in Paternoster Square beside St Paul’s Cathedral. It houses the Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects and is topped by the City’s dragon memorial with statues of Queen Victoria and Edward VII. The gate’s original statues of the Stuart kings remain in place. Visitors can walk beneath the arch and admire its rusticated stonework and carved figures. The surrounding square is a quiet contrast to the busy streets that once flowed through the gate.