Two Temple Place

Two Temple Place, formerly known as Astor House, is a striking Neo-Gothic building near the Victoria Embankment in central London. Designed by John Loughborough Pearson in 1895 for William Waldorf Astor, it stands as a testament to opulent architecture and historical significance.

Astor, who also founded the famous Waldorf Astoria in New York, envisioned this building as a home and an office, reflecting his wealth and love for grandeur. The design, influenced by the Early Elizabethan style, features Portland stone, elaborate carvings by Nathaniel Hitch, and a weather vane depicting Columbus’s Santa Maria, symbolizing Astor’s connection to Europe and the United States.

The building is adorned with intricate details from the French Renaissance, thanks to decorator John Dibblee Crace. Astor’s personal touch included lavish materials like precious woods and gilded ceilings in his private quarters. The interiors, including the main staircase, feature whimsical elements like characters from *The Three Musketeers*, Astor’s favourite novel, carved by Thomas Nicholls.

Two Temple Place also became notable for its eclectic decor. With its 35-foot high hammer-beam roof, the Great Hall showcases a frieze by Nathaniel Hitch featuring 54 figures from history and fiction, including Juliet and Richard Coeur de Lion. The hall’s stained-glass windows, crafted by Clayton and Bell, add to the building’s splendour.

In its early years, the building served various purposes. After Astor’s ownership, it became Sun Life of Canada’s headquarters, then the Society of Incorporated Accountants and Auditors, before being acquired by Smith & Nephew in 1960. During World War II, a German flying bomb damaged the building, but it was fully restored between 1949 and 1951.

Today, Two Temple Place is managed by The Bulldog Trust, a charitable organization. It opened as a gallery in October 2011, showcasing publicly owned art from regional UK collections. The first exhibition explored Morris’s storytelling through pattern and poetry in collaboration with the William Morris Gallery.

Visitors enter through ornate iron gates into a forecourt with a portico designed by William Silver Frith. The entrance leads to a stone-lined vestibule with Renaissance carvings and memorials. The marble floor, known as “opus alexandrinum,” features intricate patterns, and the oak and mahogany staircase showcases Nicholls’s carvings.

Astor’s study, described as a “temple to culture,” is a room filled with his collection of art, books, and musical instruments. It reflects Astor’s personal tastes with Spanish mahogany panelling and detailed carvings.

Overall, Two Temple Place blends historic elegance and architectural prowess, preserving its rich heritage while serving as a venue for art exhibitions and private events.