The Covid Diaries 79 – Two Temple Place, London

A review of a recent visit to Two Temple Place. In which William Waldorf Astor played at European aristocrats, and I quite like the end result.

Two Temple Place: Still Finding New Sights In London

The wonderful thing about London is the endless possibilities of things to see and do. Two Temple Place is just a stone’s throw from the National Gallery, which I visit fairly often. It’s even closer to this walk which I did a few months ago. Yet I never knew it existed until recently. I took the opportunity to visit during an open weekend, and very much enjoyed what I saw.

William Waldorf Astor (yes, one of those Astors) commissioned Two Temple Place in the 1890s. He was about the richest man in the world, and seems to have had great fun playing at aristocrats while in London. Two Temple Place was just his office, albeit with massive fortified safes and a bolt-hole for emergencies. That we can visit it today is thanks in large part to Richard ‘Tigger’ Hoare. Hoare purchased Two Temple Place and gave it to his charity, The Bulldog Trust. The Trust is a charity which supports smaller charities – of of the ways it does this is to exhibit publicly-owned collections from around the UK. There’s nothing on currently though, so just the building and its interior to admire.

A Tudor Pastiche

I really enjoyed how eclectic Two Temple Place is. You are left in no doubt that money wasn’t an object for Astor. The floor in front of the main staircase is inlaid with semi-precious stones like a Tuscan church. There are massive ebony pillars which are beautiful and must have cost an arm and a leg even then. The details are all exquisite, but the overall impact is like a Disney-fied version of a stately home. It’s a bit too opulent. Something’s just a little off. The stained glass, for example, is wonderful but reminded me much more of a Beaux-Arts style from Astor’s native land than a Tudor manor.

The most enjoyable part about it is how autobiographical it is. Astor’s favourite book was The Three Musketeers. So guess who features in beautiful carvings by Thomas Nicholls up the staircase? Above D’Artagnan and co., is a set of sculptures of figures from American literature, all mixed up but engaged with characters from their own stories. Rip Van Winkle is looking at his daughter. There’s a moment between Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale from The Scarlet Letter. And some characters from The Last of the Mohicans. And in a low relief frieze above that? A random assortment of scenes from Shakespeare. This continues in other rooms – everything is ‘historical’ or ‘worthy’, but just seems to represent whichever figures or characters Astor took a fancy to. Brilliant.

Uncharacteristically, I was running late when I came to Two Temple Place, and on the last timeslot of the day. So I didn’t have the chance to linger, but very much enjoyed seeing the rooms and chatting to the guides, who seemed pleased to have visitors back once more. I will keep an eye on any future events or exhibitions which might take me back to Two Temple Place, so I too can live out my mock-Tudor fantasies.

On Its Own Merits: 3/5
Implementing Covid measures: 4/5

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