Temple Bar twice painstakingly preserved
Above left, visitors pass through Temple Bar in its current location at Paternoster Square in February, 2017. Right, the Temple Bar gate in 1878, shortly before it was dismantled for the first time. (Ashley Winchester / Alfred and John Bool, courtesy of Yale Center for British Art Paul Mellon Collection)
From a distance, it may seem that the elaborate arch of Temple Bar gate has hugged the buildings next to St. Paul’s Cathedral for centuries. But its seamless connection to this corner of London is an illusion achieved only 12 years ago.
In fact, the nearly 350-year-old structure has been dismantled and reassembled three times since 1878. At that time, overstaying its cramped purpose as the gateway to central London, Temple Bar was purchased by the City of London Corporation and put into storage, piecemeal and preserved, until its rebuilding in Theobalds Park two years later. That iteration remained intact until 2003, when it was again taken apart, stored and moved to its present location in 2004.
Today, the Gate offers a gateway into the inviting Paternoster Square in the shadows of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Here, the unexpected inclusion of ping-pong tables just beyond the archway encourage pick-up games and spontaneous play. Other modern amenities include nearby coffee houses and chain restaurants just steps away from this relic of London’s yesteryear.
The original location of Temple Bar gate is now marked by an elaborate dragon-topped memorial about a half-mile, 15-minute walk away, where Fleet Street meets Strand.
