Temple Bar

I'm not at all surprised Temple Bar is a bit fragile as its been sitting
totally neglected in those woods for ... oh, it had been there ages when
I was a kid round there 50 years ago! Good to see that it's going back
into central London; it was wasted in those woods.

*Keith*

>From: kcm@cix.co.uk (Keith Marshall)
>Date: 01/08/2003 19:13 GMT Daylight Time

>I'm not at all surprised Temple Bar is a bit fragile as its been sitting
>totally neglected in those woods for ... oh, it had been there ages when
>I was a kid round there 50 years ago! Good to see that it's going back
>into central London; it was wasted in those woods.

I think its been there since the 1880s. Old photos of it from betweeen 1920 and
about 1960 show it to have been in pretty good condition. The rot set in in a
big way after that, not helped by vandalism aided by its isolation. Even a high
concrete fence didn't help.

I took some photos of it in the mid-eighties, and it was looking pretty down at
heel then. Things are even worse now, so the prospect of it in the middle of
Paternoster Square all spruced up and giving the place a bit of character can
only be welcomed.

One small problem though. Will the "Temple Bar" pub in Waltham Cross High
Street still keep its name? Or will that be moved too?!

John Rowland wrote:
> "Keith Marshall" <kcm@cix.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:memo.20030801221934.164C@kcm.compulink.co.uk. ..
>>
>> the Roman Ermine Street runs right by Temple Bar
>
> Ermine Street seems to be still in use from London Bridge
> to the Tottenham / Edmonton boundary, but abandoned from
> there to Maidens Bridge in Bulls Cross. I wonder why, and
> when it happened - was it in connection with the New River
> construction?
>
>>> Things are even worse now, so the prospect of it in the
>>> middle of Paternoster Square all spruced up and giving
>>> the place a bit of character can only be welcomed.
>
> I'm sure the phrases "Paternoster Square" and "a bit of
> character" in the same sentence will sound okay in time!
>
> I don't understand why they couldn't put it back between
> the Strand and Fleet Street. There were buildings
> demolished there recently, and I assumed that they were
> making room for it, but it would appear not. Failing that,
> I think they should have put it somewhere else on the
> boundary between the City of London and the City of
> Westminster, perhaps on the Embankment. Putting it in
> Paternoster Square seems pointless, because it won't be the
> gate between anything, and it will be outclassed by Wren's
> better known work anyway.

Why not as a gate into the CC area? It'd make a significant contribution to
free movement of traffic!