Temple Bar (21 x 29.7cm)

This original ink drawing was hand-drawn onto handmade 150gsm paper, approximately the size of an A4 sheet (21 x 29.7cm)

It depicts the only surviving historic gateway in the City of London, known as Temple Bar.

This ancient gateway has undergone several transformations since its original timber construction in the mid-1300s. Following the Great Fire of London, Sir Christopher Wren designed and built the current stone version. Although the medieval gate was not destroyed by the fire, it was considered impractical and was replaced to improve the flow of traffic.

In time, Wren’s gateway also became obsolete and could no longer accommodate London’s rapidly growing population. In 1878, the stone gateway was dismantled and placed into storage. Two years later, in 1880, the brewer Henry Meux purchased the stones and had the gateway reconstructed on his estate in Hertfordshire.

Finally, in 2004, Temple Bar returned to London, where it was meticulously reconstructed stone by stone in Paternoster Square, a short distance from St Paul’s Cathedral