Reader Review: The Temple Church in London: History, Architecture, Art

Public interest in The Temple Church in the City of London has seen a revival in recent years, as its Templar and mooted 'grailic' links have been the subject of blockbuster books and movies. The Temple Church in London, however, elegantly steps over the current sensationalism to present an authoritative, in-depth and interesting examination of this architecturally and historically important building.

Edited by Robin Griffith-Jones of The Temple Church and David Park of The Courtauld Institute of Art, the book brings together papers presented at a conference about the Temple Church in 2008, with contributions from academics such as Virginia Jansen (Professor Emerita of History of Art and Visual Culture at the University of California) and Christopher Wilson (Professor Emeritus of History of Art at University College London).

The informative and descriptive chapters are supported by an abundance of black and white and colour plates. These demonstrate the broad availability of drawings and photographs on this subject and provide both illustrative information and crucial historical evidence, as the true story of The Temple Church is revealed.

Over the centuries, that true story has become blurred by legend and hearsay, but this book charts the history of the Temple Church with clear and logical evidence. A key part of the book covers the architectural development of the building, from its foundation in the late 12^th century, to its alterations and additions in following periods, and its three key restorations in the 17^th, 19^th and 20^th centuries. It was Christopher Wren, who, in the late 17^th century, described the building as ‘Saracenic’, due to its similarities to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. This earliest part of the church is explored through intriguing comparisons with other Templar church designs, not only in England, but also France, and of course the Holy Land. Such a subject could prove unwieldy and larger than a single chapter would allow, but is executed with singular clarity.

The architectural development of the building was not solely the product of war and organic change over time. Politics and the prevailing view of religion also influenced alterations to The Temple over the past nine centuries. These periods of turmoil and change are deftly recounted by the authors and are easily digestible for the reader.

The Temple Church is particularly famous for its effigies of crusaders, and a whole chapter of the book is devoted to their study. It examines the identities of the individuals portrayed, as well as the damaging and confusing effects of church reordering and restoration over the centuries. Of particular interest was a study of how early illustrations of these effigies helped to inform the modern day conservation process in the aftermath of the Second World War.

The authorship, structure and presentation of The Temple Church in London give the book the authority and assurance of an academic publication. But in addition, through its clarity and accessibility of language, it is also one that can be enjoyed by a much broader audience.

The Temple Church in London: History, Architecture, Art, eds Robin Griffith-Jones & David Park (The Boydell Press)

Ellen Leslie is a buildings historian who researches the history of houses for the building conservation industry and private homeowners.

www.ellenleslie.com