Temple Bar, Fleet Street

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Temple Bar marks the barrier between the boundaries of the City of London and Westminster to regulate trade into the City, and the barrier (although not the current monument) dates back as far as 1222. Taking its name from the nearby Temple Church (so called because it was owned by the Knights Templar, the boundary has been through several incarnations. The Temple Bar featured in this virtual tour is a stone monument topped by the City of London dragon (from the tale of St George and the Dragon).

The previous Temple Bar marker was a stone gateway by Sir Christopher Wren. This was bought by a brewer and was kept at his house in Hertfordshire until 2004 when it was bought back by the City of London and re-erected at Peternoster Sqaure, near St Paul's Cathedral. The newer monument was considered to be less of an obstruction for traffic than the gateway.

It is customary that the monarch, when entering the City of London, stops in order that the Lord Mayor can offer the City's Sword of State to him or her. This ritual led to the belief among many that the monarch had to seek permission to enter the City of London but this is not the case.

Please click the small picture below to view the virtual tour of Temple Bar, London.