monument
Sir Christopher Wren, 1672
First Floor, Paternoster Lodge, 2 Paternoster Square, EC4M 7DX
Temple Bar is a 350 year old gateway to the City of London, designed by Sir Christopher Wren. It formerly stood in Fleet Street, and is the last surviving gateway to the City of London. This beautiful structure has a fascinating history, which will be revealed to visitors.
Bank, St. Paul's
Liverpool Street
8, 25, 26
Fully accessible by lift and stair lift once inside Paternoster Lodge.
Talks on Temple Bar will run every half hour through both weekends of Open House, followed by a visit to the historic chamber.
Temple Bar, designed by Sir Christopher Wren’ and completed in 1672, will be open during both of the Open House weekends from 10.00am to 4.00pm.
Temple Bar is rarely open to the general public. It is the only remaining historic City gate and the last to display the heads of traitors on spikes. It formerly stood in Fleet Street, marking the western boundary of the City of London and the place where the reigning monarch enters the City and is greeted by the Lord Mayor, in the Ceremony of the Pearl Sword. After its removal in 1878, it was rebuilt on a country estate in Hertfordshire. The Temple Bar Trust acquired and re-located it in its present site on Paternoster Square in 2004. Temple Bar Trust is supported by the City of London Corporation. Temple Bar is now the Livery Hall of The Company of Architects.