Temple Bar
Preserved but no longer current.
The old Fleet Street gateway into the City, formerly situated close to the entrance into the Temple, on the spot now marked by the monument known as the "Griffin." It was built by Wren in 1670, and was removed and re-erected in private grounds at Theobalds Park, Cheshunt, Herts, in 1878. It was long used for the exhibition of the heads of traitors and conspirators, and was hence sometimes called "the City Golgotha.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Temple Bar” mean?
The old Fleet Street gateway into the City, formerly situated close to the entrance into the Temple, on the spot now marked by the monument known as the "Griffin." It was built by Wren in 1670, and was removed and re-erected in private grounds at Theobalds Park, Cheshunt, Herts, in 1878. It was long used for the exhibition of the heads of traitors and conspirators, and was hence sometimes called "the City Golgotha.
Is “Temple Bar” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.