This painting (FS18/371) shows Temple Bar in its original position where Fleet Street meets The Strand and it was painted by a ‘Mr Paul’, the prolific forger of paintings in the style of Canaletto and William Scott.
Temple Bar by 'Mr Paul' (FS18/371)
In 1878, due to the cost of maintenance and the increasing traffic congestion(!) the bar was dismantled and placed into storage for two years until the entrepreneur and brewer Sir Henry Moore bought 16 of the huge blocks of stone to build a gateway at Theobold Park. 100 years later the stones were recovered by the Temple Bar Trust and in 2004 the Lord Mayor of London officially returned the Temple Bar in Paternoster Square to the City of London.
Notwithstanding the dubious nature of the painting by ‘Mr Paul’ it is a notable piece of social history in London and is offered on 24 April 2013 with an estimate of £400-£600.
