Street Photography

The Temple Bar Memorial

Following the demolition of Wren’s gateway, Horace Jones, Architect and Surveyor to the City of London, designed a memorial to mark Temple Bar which was unveiled in 1880. The Temple Bar Memorial stands in front of the Royal Courts of Justice.

The Temple Bar Memorial

The elaborate pedestal in a Neo-Renaissance style serves as the base for a sculpture by Charles Bell Birch commonly called the Griffin (in fact a dragon), in reference to the heraldic crest of the Corporation of the City of London. The pedestal is decorated with statues by Joseph Boehm of Queen Victoria and her son The Prince of Wales, the last royals to have entered the City through Wren’s gate, which event is depicted in one of the reliefs which also decorate the structure.