The Curious Case of the King and the Architect at Temple Bar

Join a discussion on the Architect James Gibbs and his influence

Peter Babington, vicar of St. Mary-le-Strand and Stewart Trotter (theatre director, writer and writer of the blog, The Shakespeare Code) will talk about Gibbs’s design and its relevance today.

The architect James Gibbs (1682-1754) was a Scot who became Surveyor to the New Churches Commission in London, but was dismissed in 1715 because of his sympathies to the Stuart cause.

His dismissal coincided with failed Jacobite rising of the same year. His only completed project as Surveyor was St. Mary-le-Strand, a design which includes hidden references to Jacobite symbolism and the Pretender to the throne.

St. Mary-le-Strand, located a few hundred metres from the original site of Temple Bar, was described by Simon Jenkins as ‘the finest 18th-century church in London’. In spite of this background Gibbs went on to design St. Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square and the Radcliife Camera in Oxford.

Time: Doors open at 6.05pm on 30 July

Tickets: Tickets must be purchased in advance and are priced at £20 for adults.