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All the United Kingdom England London Temple Bar Memorial Dragon
AO Edited

Temple Bar Memorial Dragon

The fierce beast perches atop a pedestal marking where the historic City of London gates once stood.

London, England

Added By
Mictlān Tēcutli
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The dragon.   Tony Webster/cc by 2.0
The dragon.   Tony Webster/cc by 2.0
The Dragon ominously looming over The Strand.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
  rbenn250 / Atlas Obscura User
Temple Bar Memorial   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
The plinth   jooniur / Atlas Obscura User
The plinth   jooniur / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Fierce and mighty   Julius Spada / Atlas Obscura User
London Bar   TravelTourist / Atlas Obscura User
The dragon.   Mike Quinn/cc by-sa 2.0
The dragon.   Elisa.rolle/cc by-sa 3.0
The dragon.   Tony Hisgett/cc by 2.0
Temple Bar Memorial Dragon   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Statue and surroundings   RichardATravels / Atlas Obscura User
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About

In the Temple Bar area of London, just outside the Royal Courts of Justice, stands a pedestal crowned by a sculpture of a dragon that appears ready to swoop down on passersby.

This impressive Victorian-era sculpture was traditionally known to locals as "The Griffin," perhaps due to its feline-like posture and body shape, and its snarl that is reminiscent of a big cat. However, this creature is in fact meant to represent a dragon.

The dragon was created in 1880 by the sculptor Charles Bell Birch, who had been commissioned by the Royal family and government to produce an ornate sculpture to surmount the pedestal marking what were the historic gates of the City of London.

The Victorians were romanticists and consciously revived trends from earlier periods of history. As such, Birch chose the dragon as the subject of the sculpture because the beast had always been a culturally important symbol for the City of London and the English nation.

Dragons are creatures of heraldic significance and are prominent characters within English folklore, from the ancient Anglo-Saxon mythological stories such as Beowulf to the tale of Saint George the dragon slayer and patron saint of England.

This particular dragon also plays another important symbolic role. In keeping with the folkloric beliefs about the treasure-guarding instincts of these mythical beasts, the Temple Bar dragon serves a totemic purpose as a protective guardian of the treasures of London.

Related Tags

Sculptures Dragons Cities Victorian

Know Before You Go

You can walk by the dragon at any time. It's in the middle of the street.

Community Contributors

Added By

Monsieur Mictlan

Edited By

philvid2, MrCarl, Kap980, TravelTourist...

  • philvid2
  • MrCarl
  • Kap980
  • TravelTourist
  • Jaszmina Szendrey
  • SEANETTA
  • Collector of Experiences
  • JamazingClayton
  • rbenn250
  • Xavixavir
  • jooniur
  • Julius Spada
  • RichardATravels

Published

December 13, 2018

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Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Bar,_London
Temple Bar Memorial Dragon
1A Middle Temple Ln
London, England, EC4Y 9AA
United Kingdom
51.513672, -0.111492
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