Two Temple Place
Encyclopedia
Two Temple Place, known for many years as “Astor House”, is a building situated near Victoria Embankment
. It is both an architectural gem and a veritable treasure house of exquisite works by the likes of William Silver Frith
,(1850–1924), Sir George Frampton
RA, Nathaniel Hitch
(1845–1938) and Thomas Nicholls
(1825–1900). On 28 October 2011, Two Temple Place opened as a public gallery. It is a London venue specifically to showcase publicly-owned art from UK regional collections.
from 1922 to 1928, the Society of Incorporated Accountants and Auditors from 1928 to 1959 and Smith & Nephew
from 1959 to the present time. It is now run and preserved by the Bulldog Trust, and hired out for functions of both a personal and corporate nature. It will also open to the public as a gallery from October 2011.
The architect was John Loughborough Pearson
, the architect of Truro Cathedral
often called the founder of Modern Gothic architecture. With unlimited funds at his disposal Pearson was able to design a fine building and employ the very best of craftsmen. After Pearson's death, his son Frank Loughborough Pearson (1864–1947) continued his work on 2 Temple Place when the building required some alterations under the ownership of Sun Life of Canada. For these alterations many of the original craftsmen were used again, including Nathaniel Hitch. The original builders, John Thompson & Sons Ltd of Peterborough were also re-employed.
In July 1944 the building was hit by a German flying bomb but was fully restored. The Library suffered the most damage, the ceiling being destroyed and several works by William Silver Frith
were lost. However the magnificent white marble fireplace which had been in the Library with sculpture by Frith was saved and was moved by the Astors to Cliveden
, their country residence.
The building consists of two floors and a lower ground floor and is of broadly Tudor design and built entirely of Portland stone
. It has splendid carvings on the exterior stonework by Nathaniel Hitch and above the machicolated parapets is a splendid weathervane ,this a representation of the caravel
Santa Maria
in which Columbus discovered America. It was executed by J. Starkie Gardner, the English metal worker, sho was responsible for all metalwork inside and outside the building.
in Walthamstow
. Titled William Morris: Story, Memory, Myth, the exhibition looks at how William Morris told stories through pattern and poetry and examines the tales that were most important to him, such as the works of Geoffrey Chaucer, Norse saga, Arthurian legend and Greek myth.
The floor is the work of Robert Davison and is a mixture of marble, jasper, porphyry and onyx all laid in geometrical patterns.This is known as "opus alexandrinum". It was Davison who was responsible for all the marble work in the house.
Nicholls’ characters include D’Artagnan himself, Madame Bonacieux, Aramis, shown slipping of a scholar’s gown and at the same time reading a love letter, Milady, Bazin, Athos and Porthos. Bazin who was the valet to Aramis was a studious person who later became a lay brother. Nicholls carves him brushing his master's clothes whilst studying theology.
’s “Scarlet Letter” is represented by Hester Prynne and the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. The two remaining characters are Washington Irving’s Rip Van Winkle and his daughter. At the feet of Rip Van Winkle
is his dog and at those of his daughter is the gnomes’ keg of liquor the drinking of which had sent Van Winkle into his long slumber and freedom from his bothersome wife for twenty years! The ceiling of the staircase Hall and Gallery is in stained glass, coved and panelled.
Here are photographs of Nicholls’ frieze and one of the six carvings.
. These panels, which were exhibited at the Royal Academy prior to installation in the house, depict in low relief the nine heroines of the Arthurian Legend, to Malory’s version of which Tennyson gave a new interpretation. The first two panels depict the “Lady of the Isle of Avelyon” and “Elaine” (“The lily maid of Astolat”). The third , fourth and fifth panels depict “The Lady of the Lake”, “Morgan le Fay” and “Guinevere” ( for whom- “A man had given all other bliss/And all his worldly worth for this/To waste his whole heart in one kiss/Uopn her perfect lips” ). The sixth, seventh and eighth panels depict “La Beale Isoude”, “Lyonors” and “Enid”. The ninth and final panel depicts “Alis la Beale Pilgrim”
At either end of the Great Hall are carved pencil cedar chimneypieces and at one end there are some bench ends carved by Hitch and these are fine examples of his work.
. Clayton and Bell often collaborated with John Loughborough Pearson. As an example of this they did all the stained glass windows at Truro Cathedral.
Victoria Embankment
The Victoria Embankment is part of the Thames Embankment, a road and river walk along the north bank of the River Thames in London. Victoria Embankment extends from the City of Westminster into the City of London.-Construction:...
. It is both an architectural gem and a veritable treasure house of exquisite works by the likes of William Silver Frith
William Silver Frith
William Silver Frith was a British sculptor.Frith graduated from the Lambeth School of Art and the Royal Academy Schools, and became assistant to Jules Dalou. By 1880 Frith had succeeded Dalou as master at the newly formed South London Technical Art School...
,(1850–1924), Sir George Frampton
George Frampton
Sir George James Frampton, RA was a notable British sculptor and leading member of the New Sculpture movement.-Early life and career:...
RA, Nathaniel Hitch
Nathaniel Hitch
Nathaniel Hitch was born in Ware, Hertfordshire in 1845, the son of a joiner and carpenter. It seems that he showed an early talent for working with his hands as in the vestry of Ware Parish Church there is a small model which he made at the age of 12...
(1845–1938) and Thomas Nicholls
Thomas Nicholls
Thomas Nicholls is a former boxer from Great Britain, who won the silver medal in the featherweight division at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. In the final he was defeated by Vladimir Safronov of the Soviet Union...
(1825–1900). On 28 October 2011, Two Temple Place opened as a public gallery. It is a London venue specifically to showcase publicly-owned art from UK regional collections.
History
It was built in 1895 as a residence and estate office for William Waldorf Astor, later first Viscount Astor, on reclaimed land following completion of the Victoria Embankment in 1870. Since the Astor family sold the house it has had various owners: Sun Life of CanadaSun Life Financial
Sun Life Financial Inc. is an international financial services company known primarily as a life insurance company. Based in Toronto, Canada, Sun Life and its partners provide insurance, retirement and investment solutions for individuals and businesses around the world including Canada, the United...
from 1922 to 1928, the Society of Incorporated Accountants and Auditors from 1928 to 1959 and Smith & Nephew
Smith & Nephew
Smith & Nephew plc is a global medical devices company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest producer of arthroscopy products, second-largest producer of advanced wound management products, third-largest producer of trauma and clinical therapy products and...
from 1959 to the present time. It is now run and preserved by the Bulldog Trust, and hired out for functions of both a personal and corporate nature. It will also open to the public as a gallery from October 2011.
The architect was John Loughborough Pearson
John Loughborough Pearson
John Loughborough Pearson was a Gothic Revival architect renowned for his work on churches and cathedrals. Pearson revived and practised largely the art of vaulting, and acquired in it a proficiency unrivalled in his generation.-Early life and education:Pearson was born in Brussels, Belgium on 5...
, the architect of Truro Cathedral
Truro Cathedral
The Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Truro is an Anglican cathedral located in the city of Truro, Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. It was built in the Gothic Revival architectural style fashionable during much of the nineteenth century, and is one of only three cathedrals in the United Kingdom...
often called the founder of Modern Gothic architecture. With unlimited funds at his disposal Pearson was able to design a fine building and employ the very best of craftsmen. After Pearson's death, his son Frank Loughborough Pearson (1864–1947) continued his work on 2 Temple Place when the building required some alterations under the ownership of Sun Life of Canada. For these alterations many of the original craftsmen were used again, including Nathaniel Hitch. The original builders, John Thompson & Sons Ltd of Peterborough were also re-employed.
In July 1944 the building was hit by a German flying bomb but was fully restored. The Library suffered the most damage, the ceiling being destroyed and several works by William Silver Frith
William Silver Frith
William Silver Frith was a British sculptor.Frith graduated from the Lambeth School of Art and the Royal Academy Schools, and became assistant to Jules Dalou. By 1880 Frith had succeeded Dalou as master at the newly formed South London Technical Art School...
were lost. However the magnificent white marble fireplace which had been in the Library with sculpture by Frith was saved and was moved by the Astors to Cliveden
Cliveden
Cliveden is an Italianate mansion and estate at Taplow, Buckinghamshire, England. Set on banks above the River Thames, its grounds slope down to the river. The site has been home to an Earl, two Dukes, a Prince of Wales and the Viscounts Astor....
, their country residence.
The building consists of two floors and a lower ground floor and is of broadly Tudor design and built entirely of Portland stone
Portland stone
Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries consist of beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building stone throughout the British Isles, notably in major...
. It has splendid carvings on the exterior stonework by Nathaniel Hitch and above the machicolated parapets is a splendid weathervane ,this a representation of the caravel
Caravel
A caravel is a small, highly maneuverable sailing ship developed in the 15th century by the Portuguese to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean. The lateen sails gave her speed and the capacity for sailing to windward...
Santa Maria
Santa María (ship)
La Santa María de la Inmaculada Concepción , was the largest of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage. Her master and owner was Juan de la Cosa.-History:...
in which Columbus discovered America. It was executed by J. Starkie Gardner, the English metal worker, sho was responsible for all metalwork inside and outside the building.
Two Temple Place Gallery
On 28 October 2011, Two Temple Place opened as the first London venue to specifically showcase publicly-owned art from UK regional collections. The first exhibition to launch the building is in collaboration with the William Morris GalleryWilliam Morris Gallery
The William Morris Gallery, opened by Prime Minister Clement Attlee in 1950, is the only public museum devoted to English Arts and Crafts, designer William Morris...
in Walthamstow
Walthamstow
Walthamstow is a district of northeast London, England, located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is situated north-east of Charing Cross...
. Titled William Morris: Story, Memory, Myth, the exhibition looks at how William Morris told stories through pattern and poetry and examines the tales that were most important to him, such as the works of Geoffrey Chaucer, Norse saga, Arthurian legend and Greek myth.
The forecourt and portico
One enters the building through fine iron gates leading onto a paved forecourt and lawn with an arcaded boundary wall on one side and on the other a portico designed by Frith. Balustrated stone steps lead up to the main door and the steps are flanked on either side by two magnificent bronze lamp standards featuring the figures of two small mischievous looking boys. One holds a telephone and the other holds up a globe. They celebrate the heralding of the then new age of telecommunication. Photographs are shown below.The vestibule
Through the entrance doors one enters a stone-lined vestibule with carvings in the early Renaissance style and inside this vestibule is a War Memorial Stone remembering those members of The Society of Incorporated Accountants and Auditors who died in the 1914-1918 war which was unveiled by the Duke of York and a Commemoration stone recording the Hall’s opening by Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of York on the 19th February 1929. The Society of Incorporated Accountants and Auditors had purchased the freehold in 1928 and until then the building was known as “Sun of Canada House” being owned by the Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, The vestibule opens on to the Staircase Hall with fine oak panelling and a chimneypiece in pavonazetto marble.The floor is the work of Robert Davison and is a mixture of marble, jasper, porphyry and onyx all laid in geometrical patterns.This is known as "opus alexandrinum". It was Davison who was responsible for all the marble work in the house.
The Main Staircase and Gallery
The main staircase rises up from the Staircase Hall to the Gallery on the first floor. It comprises three flights of stairs. It used to have seven mahogany carvings by Thomas Nicholls on the newel posts, these representing characters from Alexandre Dumas’ “The Three Musketeers”. This it seems was Astor’s favourite novel. They were replaced, for a time, by seven bronze sculptures with a Robin Hood theme by the sculptor David Williams-Ellis. Nicholls mahogany carvings were kept in storage but have been re-instated as part of the staircase in 2011.Nicholls’ characters include D’Artagnan himself, Madame Bonacieux, Aramis, shown slipping of a scholar’s gown and at the same time reading a love letter, Milady, Bazin, Athos and Porthos. Bazin who was the valet to Aramis was a studious person who later became a lay brother. Nicholls carves him brushing his master's clothes whilst studying theology.
The Staircase Hall-Gallery. Thomas Nicholls’ frieze and carvings
The staircase hall is overlooked by a gallery which features a further six statues these having American literary associations and a frieze in rilievo which features eighty-two characters from Shakespeare’s Othello, Henry VIII, Anthony & Cleopatra and Macbeth. Around this gallery are ten pillars of solid ebony. The statues are positioned on six of the carved oak panels which surmount these pillars. The frieze and statues are by Thomas Nicholls. Two of the figures are from the “Leatherstocking” novels of Fenimore Cooper, the first being “The Last of the Mohicans” the nickname of Uncas, a leading character in the book. The second statue is that of “The Pathfinder”, one of the names given to Leatherstocking (otherwise Natty Bumpo). Next Nathaniel HawthorneNathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer.Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in the city of Salem, Massachusetts to Nathaniel Hathorne and the former Elizabeth Clarke Manning. His ancestors include John Hathorne, a judge during the Salem Witch Trials...
’s “Scarlet Letter” is represented by Hester Prynne and the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. The two remaining characters are Washington Irving’s Rip Van Winkle and his daughter. At the feet of Rip Van Winkle
Rip Van Winkle
"Rip Van Winkle" is a short story by the American author Washington Irving published in 1819, as well as the name of the story's fictional protagonist. Written while Irving was living in Birmingham, England, it was part of a collection entitled The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon...
is his dog and at those of his daughter is the gnomes’ keg of liquor the drinking of which had sent Van Winkle into his long slumber and freedom from his bothersome wife for twenty years! The ceiling of the staircase Hall and Gallery is in stained glass, coved and panelled.
Here are photographs of Nicholls’ frieze and one of the six carvings.
The Great Hall- Sir George Frampton’s panels
The entrance door to the Great Hall is made of mahogany, has a beautifully carved head and nine decorative panels in silver gilt by Sir George James FramptonGeorge Frampton
Sir George James Frampton, RA was a notable British sculptor and leading member of the New Sculpture movement.-Early life and career:...
. These panels, which were exhibited at the Royal Academy prior to installation in the house, depict in low relief the nine heroines of the Arthurian Legend, to Malory’s version of which Tennyson gave a new interpretation. The first two panels depict the “Lady of the Isle of Avelyon” and “Elaine” (“The lily maid of Astolat”). The third , fourth and fifth panels depict “The Lady of the Lake”, “Morgan le Fay” and “Guinevere” ( for whom- “A man had given all other bliss/And all his worldly worth for this/To waste his whole heart in one kiss/Uopn her perfect lips” ). The sixth, seventh and eighth panels depict “La Beale Isoude”, “Lyonors” and “Enid”. The ninth and final panel depicts “Alis la Beale Pilgrim”
The Great Hall- Nathaniel Hitch’s frieze
The Great Hall extends the whole length of the building on the river front. The walls are exquisitely panelled in pencil cedar and surmounted by a frieze in which fifty-four portraits of the heads of characters famous in history and fiction, have been modelled, carved in low relief and then gilded by the sculptor Nathaniel Hitch.The Hall is 35 feet high to the ridge and open to a hammer-beam type roof- a spectacular example of modern Gothic timber work all being made from carved Spanish mahogany. Below we see some examples of these carvings. Firstly we see Juliet and then Queen Louise of Prussia and Richard Coeur de Lion, then three further portraits. On the Two Temple Place website there is a full list of those represented in Hitch’s portraits.. Above the frieze and standing within tracered canopies under the roof prinicipals are twelve carved figures from literature- Ivanhoe, Robin Hood, Maid Marion, etc.At either end of the Great Hall are carved pencil cedar chimneypieces and at one end there are some bench ends carved by Hitch and these are fine examples of his work.
The Great Hall- Stained Glass Windows
At the eastern and western ends of the Hall are stained glass windows. These represent Swiss landscapes, are called “Sunrise” and “Sunset” and are the work of Clayton and BellClayton and Bell
Clayton and Bell was one of the most prolific and proficient workshops of English stained glass during the latter half of the 19th century. The partners were John Richard Clayton and Alfred Bell . The company was founded in 1855 and continued until 1993...
. Clayton and Bell often collaborated with John Loughborough Pearson. As an example of this they did all the stained glass windows at Truro Cathedral.