The statue of Queen Anne of Denmark, who, as wife of King James I and VI, also reigned as Queen Consort of England, Ireland, & Scotland.
Queen Anne of Denmark is shown as a young woman, and unlike her husband, is not wearing the Tudor fashions of the time. She is wearing a flowing garment that appears to wrap around her, and appears to be blowing in a breeze. her had is placed demurely at her throat, as if to keep her modesty. Underneath the flowing garment, she appears to be wearing a dress.
From Encyclopedia Britannica: (
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"Anne of Denmark, (born Dec. 12, 1574—died March 2, 1619) queen consort of King James I of Great Britain and Ireland (James VI of Scotland); although she had little direct political influence, her extravagant expenditures contributed to the financial difficulties that plagued James’s regime.
The daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark and Norway, Anne was married to James in 1589. Her Lutheran upbringing and frivolous nature cost her the affection of James’s Scottish Presbyterian subjects, and James alienated Anne by entrusting the upbringing of their first son, Prince Henry (1594–1612), to John Erskine, 2nd earl of Mar. Nevertheless, after James ascended the British throne in 1603, he and Anne lived in harmony, although they had separate quarters during the last few years of her life. Most of the Queen’s time and energy were devoted to lavish court entertainments, and her patronage contributed to the development of the arts, particularly of the masque. She embarrassed James, however, with her conversion to Roman Catholicism. Their second son succeeded James as King Charles I (ruled 1625–49)."
From the Temple Bar History website: (
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"History of Temple Bar
Sir Christopher Wren’s Temple Bar marked the gateway to the City of London for 200 years. Then it was rebuilt at Theobalds Park, Cheshunt to form a grand entrance to a country estate.
Today, Temple Bar has been rebuilt at Paternoster Square, opposite St. Paul’s Cathedral in the heart of London.
Sir Christopher Wren’s Temple Bar
Temple Bar is best remembered as Sir Christopher Wren’s monument, and although no documents survive to prove he designed it, Wren’s son retained original drawings for the work. The old gate survived the Great Fire of 1666, but had fallen into disrepair. Under the orders of Charles II Temple Bar was rebuilt with highly prized Portland stone from the Royal quarries in Dorset, demonstrating the importance that the king placed on the project. One third of the total cost of £1,500 was spent on sculpturing four impressive regal statues to adorn the new stone gateway. On the east side of the gateway, in two niches, were stone statues of Queen Anne of Denmark and James I, and on the west side were the statues of Charles I and Charles II. It was a statement which illustrated that Temple Bar was as much a royal monument as a city one.
During the eighteenth century Temple Bar was used to display the heads of traitors on iron spikes which protruded from the top of the main arch. One story goes that the Rye House plotters drew so much attention that telescopes were offered for hire in order to gain a better view. The last heads to be displayed were those of Towneley and Fletcher, who were taken at the Siege of Carlisle and executed in 1746. For some time after Towneley’s execution his head was displayed on Temple Bar until a faithful family retainer secured possession of it and brought it back to Burnley, where for many years it was kept in a basket covered with a napkin in the drawing room at Towneley Hall.
Removal of Temple Bar from Fleet Street
Wren’s Temple Bar stood in Fleet Street for just over 200 years until a variety of factors dictated its removal. Firstly, and most importantly, the roadway needed widening to relieve the heavy traffic and the building of the Royal Courts of Justice resulted in the decision to remove the somewhat costly and outdated Temple Bar. The Corporation of London however, had a strong attachment to the Bar and rather than see it cleared away, it was taken down brick by brick, beam by beam, numbered stone by stone, and stored in a yard off Farringdon Road until a decision for its re-erection could be reached."