I don’t know why it has taken me so long to visit this extraordinary building but the wait was certainly worth it. And entry is free!
You know you’re in for a treat when, at the entrance, you encounter these charming cherubs chatting to one another over a late 19th century telephone …
The way in …
Two Temple Place is ‘a dazzling neo-Gothic gem’ on Victoria Embankment …
Then the richest man in the world, William Waldorf Astor emigrated to England from America in 1891 and he spared no expense when work began on Two Temple Place in 1892. It was designed by one of the foremost neo-Gothic architects of the late nineteenth-century, John Loughborough Pearson, and served as an impregnable bolthole with the eccentric Astor’s private apartment and bedroom upstairs. Its main purpose, however, was to accomodate the people managing Astor’s vast estate.
The man himself …
If you love stained glass as much as I do this must be on your list to visit. Here are just a few of the many images I took as I walked around. I haven’t included captions since the ones at the venue are so detailed this blog would be far too long. So I hope these pictures are good enough to encourage you to visit in person …
At the bottom of the stunning staircase you encounter D’Artagnan …
And further up, Athos …
More breathtaking glass awaits you upstairs …
In the foreground is a modern piece from a special exhibition that is also resident at Temple Place for the time being …
Entitled ‘The Glass Heart’, the guide tells us that ‘this bold new exploration of glass in the UK brings together for the very first time rarely seen works from key UK collections, celebrating this remarkable material – unforgiving, fragile, strong, sustainable. The Glass Heart will make you think again about glass as we explore how it has illuminated and contained human narratives and ideas’.
Here are a few images from this exciting and unusual exhibition …
Well written and beautifully illustrated, at £10 the guide book is fantastic value for money and a great memento of your visit …
Two Temple Place is a truly magnificent one-off. Make sure you check on the website for opening times before you visit since these can vary : https://twotempleplace.org/
If glass is your passion, don’t forget you can watch the creative process in action at the London Glassblowing Gallery …
The items for sale there may change forever your perception of what glass can do and the way it can influence the way we see the world – a fantastic place to visit …
There are glass hearts like these in the Temple Place exhibition. If you visit see if you can spot them …
I enjoyed that glass of Rosé as well!
Remember you can follow me on Instagram …
