To understand the significance of The Temple Bar, it is important to put it first into context with the development of ancient London.

London evolved during the Roman occupation of Britain and, like many important Roman towns and cities, it was ultimately protected by a substantial stone perimeter wall. Access through the wall could then be controlled by a series of gates located on the major trade routes. As Roman Londinium was sited on the north bank of the River Thames, the river itself acted as a southern defensive barrier. Six gates were then constructed at strategic points to the west, north and east: Ludgate, Newgate, Aldersgate, Cripplegate, Bishopsgate and Aldgate. A seventh gate, Moorgate, was added c1415 to the north between Cripplegate and Bishopsgate, and these were collectively known as the 'Seven Gates to the City of London'. Although none survive today, many streets and tube stations in the vicinity of the old gates still carry their names.

With the expansion of London, settlements started to grow-up outside of the old city walls. These areas became known as the 'Liberties of London', and it was here that an outer series of barriers or 'Bars' were created. Traders would have to pay a toll at the Bar before accessing the city via the original town gates. The most important of these was the Temple Bar, originally sited at the boundary of the City of London with the City of Westminster - where The Strand and Fleet Street meet today. This was a strategic location, marking the point where the country's political centre met the centre of trade and commerce. Even today, before entering the City of London, a tradition remains for the monarch to stop at the site of the Temple Bar to receive the Sword of State from the Lord Mayor of London as a token of loyalty.

Named after an area once occupied by The Knights Templar, the Temple Bar originally would have been a fairly simple arrangement, being replaced by various wooden structures during the medieval period. In the 1630s, Inigo Jones drew up plans for a new gateway, but these were never carried out. A 1662 Act of Parliament provided for the widening of several London 'bottlenecks', including Temple Bar, but again nothing was done. Despite escaping damage at the time of the Great Fire in 1666, King Charles II ordered that the old, rather dilapidated gate be replaced. Sir Christopher Wren was commissioned to undertake this project, and the new Temple Bar was erected between 1669 and 1672 in fine Portland stone.

Comprising a central road arch, pedestrian arches either side, and a room above, the Temple Bar stood for two centuries before an increase in traffic and the construction of the Royal Courts of Justice finally marked the end of an era. Carefully dismantled in 1878, the entire monument was placed in storage until a suitable use could be found. Today, the original site is marked by a large Victorian statue, topped by a flying Griffin.

In 1880 the wealthy brewer Sir Henry Meux purchased the arch to be re-erected to form a gateway to his country estate, Theobald's Park in Hertfordshire. Here it remained for well over a century, eventually becoming a forlorn and derelict ruin in the woods long after the estate had been sold.

However, the City of London had never abandoned interest in the Temple Bar and its owners, The Temple Bar Trust, were determined to return it to its spiritual homeland. This ambition was to be realised on the 6 December 2001 when the Common Council of the Corporation of London agreed to retake possession of Temple Bar from the trustees, and return it to a new site in Paternoster Square, adjacent to St Paul's Cathedral.

Carefully dismantled for a second time in its history, the Temple Bar was transported back to London in 2003 where it was fully restored and rebuilt, before opening again to the public on 10 November 2004.