Old London Maps
Free access to scores of rare and detailed maps, plans, articles, information and views of medieval, sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth century London for the genealogist, family historian, student and the curious.

 

Temple Bar from The Strand

Historically Temple Bar divided the liberties of the cities of London and Westminster. Anciently this boundary was marked by a simple rail, but from medieval times a great gateway straddled the junction of Fleet Street and the Strand to mark the boundary. The gateway above is one designed by Sir Christopher Wren and built in 1670. In the Georgian period it was used to display the heads of traitors.

Even in Georgian times Temple Bar was an impediment to traffic flow along the busy Strand and Fleet Street. It was taken down in 1878 in order to facilitate increasing late Victorian traffic flow.

See another view of Temple Bar from Butcher Row.

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