Two Temple Place

“Two Temple Place is London’s first venue to specifically showcase publicly-owned art from UK regional collections. The building is one of London's hidden architectural gems, an extraordinary late Victorian mansion built by William Waldorf Astor on Embankment”

The Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or Neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England. It became well known in the early nineteenth century, when increasingly serious and learned admirers of neo-Gothic styles sought to revive medieval forms, in contrast to the neoclassical styles prevalent at the time. An example of gothic revival architecture is two temple place which represents the medieval way of design.

The current exhibition shown at two temple place gives us an insight to the work of William Morris, sharing his passion alongside Walter Gropius creating the structure of Bauhaus. A few years into the idea of individual talents the new slogan became art and technology as William Morris bought the unity of teamwork into practice making his work the history of well knows craft and pattern to inspire and remember.  

 William Morris 24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement.

The amazing architectural design of the building leaves and represents an insight to historical art, on the 28^Th October 2011; Two Temple place opened a showcase of publicly owned art from UK regional collections. In 

collaboration with the William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow, it was the first exhibitions to launch the building.  

As you enter the building you are approached by two magnificent bronze lamp standards either side of the main front doors and steps, representing the body of two boys one holds up a telephone and the other holds up a globe, they celebrate the new age of telecommunication.

The main staircase rises up from the Staircase Hall to the Gallery on the first floor. It comprises three flights of stairs. Before it used to have seven mahogany carvings by Thomas Nicholls on the newel posts, these representing characters from Alexandre Dumas’ “The Three Musketeers”. However they were replaced, by seven bronze sculptures with a Robin Hood theme by the sculptor David Williams-Ellis.