Time-travel through pictures

Temple Bar - the Time Trap Trail

Sketch taken from Time Trap

The monument in the centre of the road, is where Temple Bar stood, which you will see later on the Trail. Temple Bar is a boundary marker, separating the City of London and Westminster. It was along this street, Hector drove his faltering contraption. 

Extract from the Trail

Catherine clasped her head, as Jamie opened the carriage door. He was reaching for the handrails and using the seat to hoist himself up. 'What are you doing, Jamie? Get back inside!' she screamed.

Jamie ignored her and hauled himself up the side-panelling. Temple Bar lay ahead. The ancient white gateway almost glowed in the moonlight. The driverless coach rapidly approached it. 

Time Trap

The history of Temple Bar is a fascinating one. It was erected as a barrier to regulate trade into the city. As the most important entrance to London from Westminster, it has long been the custom that the monarch stop at Temple Bar before entering the City of London, so that the Lord Mayor may offer him or her the City's pearl-encrusted Sword of State as a token of loyalty. 

Its name comes from the Temple Church, which has given its name to a wider area south of Fleet Street, the Temple, once belonging to the Knights Templar, but now home to two of the legal profession's Inns of Court.

Due to the ever increasing volume of traffic, the City of London Corporation were eager to widen the road, though unwilling to destroy so historic a monument, but in 1878, Temple Bar was dismantled carefully (2,700 stones) piece-by-piece over an 11-day period. In 1880, it ended up being erected as a gateway at the house of the brewer Henry Meux, in Theobalds Park.

There it remained, incongruously sitting in a clearing in a wood, from 1878–2003. But where is it now? If you follow the Time Trap Trail, you will get to see it in all its glory.

The structure that replaced Temple Bar. With the removal of Wren's gate, it was designed by Horace Jones, as a memorial to mark Temple Bar, which was unveiled in 1880.

ONCE YOU COMPLETE THE TRAIL AND EMAIL ME THE CORRECT ANSWERS, I WILL DOWNLOAD TO YOU THE PERSONALIZED CERTIFICATE!

Can you see Temple Bar on the map?

Time-travel through pictures

Here's another location on the Time Trap Trail


Farringdon Road

Sketch taken from Time Trap

Turn right and stop at the first set of traffic lights. From where you stand, look to the right, and there was the construction site of the Metropolitan Railway. Jamie and Todd climbed down the ladder escaping Billy and his gang, and sprinted into the tunnel. They emerged further up Farringdon Road, only to fall into the hands of Billy and the others.

Extract from the Trail

Knowing its history and development, Farringdon is one of my favorite places in London. Back in the 1860's, the area was awash with Victorian rebuild and innovation. Above, is a sketch of the Metropolitan Line under construction. Opened in !863, with gas-lit wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives, it was the world's first underground railway.

The "cut and cover" method was a simple way of construction for shallow tunnels, where a trench was excavated and roofed over with an overhead support system strong enough to carry the load of what was to be built above the tunnel. Many houses and buildings were demolished during the works, from Farringdon to Paddington.

  Todd read aloud from a large billboard: ‘Metropolitan Railway.’

  ‘Haven’t you heard of the new form of transport?’ Mr Wiggles asked. ‘Trains that go under the ground? Sounds daft to me; only the sewers should go underground. Can’t see it catching on.’

  ‘It’s the start of the London Underground,’ said Jamie, softly. ‘The Victorians were so clever.’

  ‘I’d never have guessed it went this far back in time,’ Todd whispered. He asked Mr Wiggles if they could take a closer look.

  ‘Oi!’ a juvenile voice shouted.

  Jamie’s stomach sank; the gang they had encountered earlier were spread out along the road behind them.

Time Trap

Farringdon Road today, where the Metropolitan Line runs beneath.

ONCE YOU COMPLETE THE TRAIL AND EMAIL ME THE CORRECT ANSWERS, I WILL DOWNLOAD TO YOU THE PERSONALIZED CERTIFICATE!

Can you spot the Metropolitan Railway under construction, on the map?