A palatial temple close to Hatten Garden
City Temple, a historic Free Church located in the City of London, has its roots in the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. The traditional date of the founding of the church is 1640. However, some evidence suggests that the church could have begun as early as the 1560s. Puritans, who became known as non-conformists, because they refused to conform with the Book of Common Prayer, campaigned for the reform of the Church of England.
City Temple has had a succession of famous ministers: The Puritan Thomas Goodwin, chaplain to Oliver Cromwell; the great Victorian preacher, Joseph Parker; and Leslie Weatherhead, who led the church from 1936-1960.
City Temple was built on Holborn Viaduct in 1874. It’s grand design, layout and worship epitomised the metropolitan ‘gathered church’ model. The church thrived even after the Second World War, when the church was rebuilt and opened for worship in 1958, after having suffered bomb damage.
Yates Associates were invited by Raymond Hall, principal of People and Places architects, to undertake the external lighting to the main front façade. To help avoid tricky maintenance access to the floodlights it was recommended only to ‘switch on’ when a church service was being held.
