Sussex stone specialists CWO have won a contract worth almost £2million to return a 17th century Portland limestone City gate to London.

The gate, known as The Temple Bar, originally stood in Fleet Street and was built on the orders of Charles II (probably to Christopher Wren designs) of Portland stone to replace a wooden gate that had been burnt down in the Great Fire of London of 1666. It cost £1,500.

The Temple Bar is so called because in medieval England the boundary of the City of London was marked by a chain across Fleet Street that barred people\'s entry. It was near the Temple, so it was called The Temple Bar.

The Portland stone gate eventually built in 1672 was removed in 1878 because it was causing traffic congestion. It was sold to the Meux family, which owns Theobald\'s Park in Hertfordshire, where it has formed the entrance ever since, becoming a Scheduled Ancient Monument and being Listed Grade I in the meantime.

Now, however, the 2,500 stones in the gate are being taken down by CWO, repaired and replaced as necessary, to be rebuilt at the entrance of the newly rebuilt Paternoster Square, adjacent to St Paul\'s Cathedral, where CWO also built the new column at the centre of the square.

It will take 48 lorries to move the solid stone gate and the project is scheduled to last 71 weeks, finishing in November.

Four statues that originally stood on The Temple Bar, also in Portland stone, will also be restored by CWO and returned to their niches on the gateway. The statues, currently kept in storage by English Heritage at Atcham, are of Elizabeth I, James I and Charles I and II.

Client: Corporation of London
Architect: Freeland Rees Roberts
Main Contractor: CWO