Historic churches · London
Temple Church, London
In or near Covent Garden.
Temple Church, London — 12th-century church in London built for and by the Knights Templar.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 30 min–1 h
- Nearest railway station
- Temple · 0.4 km
- Paid entry
- Wheelchair accessible
Getting there & planning your visit
To visit Temple Church in London, the nearest railway station is Temple, located 0.4 km away. Entry to the church is free, and it is wheelchair accessible. The postcode for sat-nav is EC4Y 7BD.
About
Temple Church, London is a historic church in the United Kingdom. Records date its origin to 1185. Built in the Romanesque architecture style. Heritage designation: Grade I listed building. Affiliated with Anglicanism. Named after Knights Templar. Wikidata describes it as: "12th-century church in London built for and by the Knights Templar". Coordinates: 51.5132°, -0.1104°.
Photo gallery
Heritage listing
The Temple Church, a royal peculiar in the Church of England, is a church in the Inner and Middle Temples located between Fleet Street and the River Thames in London, England. It was built by the Knights Templar for their English headquarters in the Temple precinct and consecrated on 10 February 1185 by Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem. During the reign of King John (1199–1216) it served as the royal treasury, supported by the role of the Knights Templar as proto-international bankers. It is now jointly owned by the Inner Temple and Middle Temple Inns of Court, bases of the English legal profession. It is famous for being a round church, a common design feature for Knights Templar churches, and for its 13th- and 14th-century stone effigies.
From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.
Official information
Temple Church is a historic church in London, originally built in 1162 as a Round Church to represent Jerusalem. It has significant ties to the legal profession and has hosted important events in British history, including the negotiation of the Magna Carta.
From the Wikipedia article
The Temple Church, a royal peculiar in the Church of England, is a church in the Inner and Middle Temples located between Fleet Street and the River Thames in London, England. It was built by the Knights Templar for their English headquarters in the Temple precinct and consecrated on 10 February 1185 by Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem. During the reign of King John (1199–1216) it served as the royal treasury, supported by the role of the Knights Templar as proto-international bankers. It is now jointly owned by the Inner Temple and Middle Temple Inns of Court, bases of the English legal profession. It is famous for being a round church, a common design feature for Knights Templar churches, and for its 13th- and 14th-century stone effigies. It was heavily damaged by German bombing during World War II and has since been greatly restored and rebuilt. The area around the Temple Church is still known as the Temple. Temple Bar, a jurisdictional gateway, stood in the middle of Fleet Street in the Temple area. Nearby is Temple Underground station.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
Architecture
In the mid-12th century, before the construction of the church, the Knights Templar in London had met at a site in High Holborn in a structure originally established by Hugues de Payens (the site had been historically the location of a Roman temple in Londinium, now known as London). Because of the rapid growth of the order, by the 1160s the site had become too confined, and the order purchased the current site for the establishment of a larger monastic complex as their headquarters in England. In addition to the church, the new compound originally contained residences, military training facilities, and recreational grounds for the military brethren and novices, who were not permitted to go…
Visiting
Temple Church plays a significant role in the plot of the mystery novel The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and its subsequent film adaptation, a key scene of which was filmed inside the church.
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 51.5132, -0.1104
- District
- City of London
- Parish
- City of London, unparished area
- Postcode
- EC4Y 7BD
- Parliamentary constituency
- Cities of London and Westminster
- Established
- 1185
- Nearest railway station
- Temple — 0.4 km
- Official site
- www.templechurch.com
Sources
- wikidata: Q1429312 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Temple Church (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Temple Church, Temple, London EC4.jpeg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Nearby
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Ye Olde Cock Tavern
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Places to eat & drink
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Temple Church, London?
- Temple Church, London is in London, United Kingdom (postcode EC4Y 7BD), in the parish of City of London, unparished area.
- What is Temple Church, London?
- Temple Church, London — 12th-century church in London built for and by the Knights Templar.
- How do I get to Temple Church, London?
- The nearest railway station is Temple, about 0.4 km away. Drivers can use postcode EC4Y 7BD.
- When was Temple Church, London built?
- Built or established in 1185.
- Is Temple Church, London a listed building?
- Temple Church, London is officially recognised as Grade I listed building listed.
- Is Temple Church, London free to visit?
- Yes, Temple Church, London is free to enter.
- How do I get to Temple Church, London?
- The nearest railway station is Temple, about 0.4 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode EC4Y 7BD.