Wender·Vista
Temple Church, London
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileUnited Kingdom
tucked behind Fleet Street, in the lawyers' quarter of the City of London

Temple Church, London

— — the round church the Templars left behind.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“A round church built by the Knights Templar and consecrated in 1185, modelled on the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. It sits in the quiet courtyards between Fleet Street and the Thames, surrounded by the chambers of the Inner and Middle Temple. The Blitz took the roof in 1941; the medieval knights' effigies on the floor survived. Lawyers cross the courtyard at noon and barely look up.

from the studio
Temple Church, London
— bring it home

Temple Church, London, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Temple Church, London

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Temple Church stands in the legal quarter of the City of London, between Fleet Street and Victoria Embankment, reached through narrow gateways from the public street. The Round was consecrated by Heraclius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, in 1185, its shape copied from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The longer rectangular Chancel was added in 1240. After the suppression of the Templars in 1312 the church passed to the Knights Hospitaller and, in 1608, to the two Inns of Court, Inner Temple and Middle Temple, who jointly hold it under a charter granted by James I.

— the stone

Nine stone effigies of medieval knights lie on the floor of the Round, carved from Purbeck marble in the early 13th century. They are the oldest such group in England, including one believed to be William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, who died in 1219. They were badly damaged when an incendiary bomb burned the church on the night of 10 May 1941; the worst-cracked were reassembled in the postwar restoration by Walter Godfrey, with new Purbeck columns brought from the Dorset quarry that supplied the originals.

— the visit

The church opens to visitors most weekdays for a small admission, with hours that vary by the schedule of legal terms and the private services of the Inns of Court. Choral Evensong is sung on most Wednesdays during term, free of charge. The nearest Underground stations are Temple on the Circle and District lines and Chancery Lane on the Central line, each about five minutes' walk. Photography is permitted without flash; the effigies on the Round floor are the most asked-after subject inside.

— informed by Temple Church visiting
— where
United Kingdom · City of London, England
— position
51.5126° N · 0.1106° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
at the lake
Royal Courts of Justice
Victorian Gothic court
1 km E
St Paul's Cathedral
Wren cathedral
at the lake
Inns of Court
legal precinct
N
Temple Church, London
Royal Courts of Justice
St Paul's Cathedral
Inns of Court
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Temple Church, London — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

The Knights Templar built it as their English headquarters and consecrated the Round in 1185, its shape modelled on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. After the Order's suppression in 1312 it passed to the Knights Hospitaller.

The round nave copies the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the Templars' home church. Round naves were a Templar signature across Europe. A rectangular Chancel was added in 1240 to enlarge the choir.

Nine Purbeck-marble effigies of 13th-century knights lie in the Round, the oldest such group in England. One is believed to be William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, regent of England under the young Henry III.

Yes. On the night of 10 May 1941 an incendiary bomb burned the roof and cracked the effigies. The postwar restoration by Walter Godfrey reopened the church in 1958, with new Purbeck columns from Dorset.

It is jointly held by the Honourable Societies of the Inner Temple and Middle Temple, two of London's four Inns of Court, under a royal charter granted by James I in 1608. The Master of the Temple leads services.

Enter from Fleet Street through Inner Temple Gate or from Victoria Embankment. The church opens most weekdays for a small admission; check the schedule, as legal-term services close it. Temple Underground station is five minutes away.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. The two Inns of Court hold the church jointly, so it carries personal meaning for barristers and benchers. A framed Small or Medium with a handwritten studio note travels well as a call-to-the-Bar gift.

The stained-glass and ink palette suits Library Traditional, English Country, and dark-walled Maximalist rooms. It also sits well in a panelled study or a quiet hallway with brass picture lights above it.

The current return to dark walls, antique brass, and ecclesiastical motifs, sometimes called the Quiet Library look, suits this piece. It pairs naturally with vintage maps, leather-bound volumes, and oxblood upholstery.

A single Large reads from across the room above a console. For a sofa wall, a 4-tile Mural or a 9-tile Mural carries the scale. The Medium suits a hallway, study, or desk.

Yes. Order it in the Dura Satin or Matte finish for backsplashes, showers, and other damp settings. The colour is infused into the ceramic surface and will not lift with steam or splash.

A microfibre cloth and clean water. No solvents, no abrasive pads. The thin glossy or satin finish wipes clean; the colour lives in the surface beneath it.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original work from our studio in Knoxville, Tennessee, in Reid Wender's visual language. We do not licence or resell other artists' work.

— if this one stayed with you

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