You cannot turn up at Two Temple Place. Most of the year there is no way in at all, and when there is, the free way and the paid way are months apart.
Their own summary: “We are open on select days of the year for exhibitions, building tours and events.”
Checked on 6 October 2026, here is the whole of the next six months.
Building Tour, Thursday 12 November 2026, 1:30pm to 2:30pm. £12.
Building Tour, Friday 11 December 2026, three slots: 10:30am, 12:00pm and 1:30pm. £12 each.
Gathering Rest, an exhibition, Saturday 23 January to Sunday 18 April 2027, 11:00am to 4:30pm. Free.
That is it. Four hour-long slots at £12 before Christmas, then nothing until late January, when the building opens for nearly three months and costs nothing.
So the practical answer depends entirely on when you are reading this. If you can wait until 23 January 2027, wait: the exhibition is free and the building is the exhibition. If you cannot, the £12 tour is the only door.
The free Open House and Heritage Open Days fell on Sunday 13 and Sunday 20 September 2026, and come round once a year.
The stair climber has a published model number
We have not seen another London building do this, and for a wheelchair user it is the difference between planning and guessing.
The approach is the problem: “As a historic building, there is a short flight of stone steps leading up to our entrance, and wheelchair access to the building can be gained via a stair climber.”
Then they name it.
“The model of stairclimber is a Baronmead Stairmate Major. The stair climber has a total weight limit of 200kg, and wheelchairs must be less than 88cm long and 70cm wide in order to fit on the platform.”
A model, a weight limit and two dimensions. You can measure your own chair against 88cm by 70cm at home, and they point you at the manufacturer’s site to see how the machine works.
Two caveats they state rather than bury. “For your safety, we reserve the right to not use the stair climber if a wheelchair is too heavy.” And “The manufacturer advises that we do not use the stair climber in icy weather conditions.”
That second one matters here, because the free exhibition runs from late January. A frozen morning can close the only accessible entrance. Phone 020 7836 3715 before travelling.
Once you are through the door it is straightforward: a lift to all floors and an adapted toilet on the ground floor.
Nothing bigger than a cabin bag gets in
A hard limit with exact dimensions, and they tell you where to go instead.
“We have an unstaffed cloakroom available for visitors. We cannot accept luggage larger than cabin size (55 x 40 x 25cm) in the building. The nearest ‘left luggage’ facilities are at Charing Cross Station.”
Unstaffed, so nothing valuable. And a suitcase does not come in at all, which is worth knowing because Temple is the kind of place people stop at between trains.
Sensory bags and ear defenders from reception
Available at every opening, not only on designated days.
“During exhibitions and all open days, our SEN bags will be available.”
They are described as curated kits meant to reduce overstimulation and support neurodivergent visitors and anyone with sensory processing differences, holding interactive sensory resources and toys. Collect a bag and ear defenders from Reception, and hand them back on the way out.
Alongside that: a quiet space, available on request to a member of staff. Large print label books in each room or at reception during exhibitions, including versions on yellow paper with black type, plus a choice of colour overlays.
The building is also nursing friendly, has all-gender and disabled toilets and baby changing, and assistance animals are welcome.
There is a free digital guide and a virtual tour of the building to look at before you come, which is genuinely useful given how rarely the doors are open.
Do not lock your bike to the front gates
A small rule with a real reason behind it.
“Visitors are welcome to lock their bikes to the internal gates in our courtyard. Please do not lock bicycles to the gates facing the pavement, these are Grade II listed.”
Inside the courtyard, yes. On the street, no, because the street gates are themselves a listed structure. Further bike parking is outside Temple station, and Santander cycles are on Arundel Street.
Getting there, and Blue Badge parking
Two Temple Place, London WC2R 3BD. 020 7836 3715.
Underground: Temple on the Circle and District, Embankment on four lines, Charing Cross, Holborn and Blackfriars. National Rail: Charing Cross and Blackfriars, both a 15 minute walk.
Buses along the Strand: the 9, 15, 23, 26, 76, 87 and 341.
Blue Badge parking is on the corner of Temple Place, on Surrey Street and on Essex Street.
What the building is
A late Victorian neo-Gothic mansion off the Embankment, built as an estate office, and one of the least seen interiors in central London precisely because it is not a museum.
It is wholly owned by The Bulldog Trust, a registered charity, number 1123081, which runs it as an exhibition space for work from regional and university collections rather than as a permanent display.
That is why the calendar looks the way it does. The building is lent out, shown, and then closed again.
Group tours run on weekdays during the exhibition period, and on specific dates outside it. School visits are taken during exhibitions.
How to plan it
Check the What’s On page before anything else. There are usually only a handful of open dates.
Want it free: wait for the exhibition, 23 January to 18 April 2027, 11am to 4.30pm.
Want it sooner: book a £12 Building Tour, 12 November or 11 December 2026.
Once a year it is free for Open House, in September.
Wheelchair user: measure the chair, under 88cm long and 70cm wide, under 200kg all in, and call ahead. Not in icy weather.
Leave the suitcase at Charing Cross. Nothing over 55 x 40 x 25cm comes in.
Need a sensory bag or ear defenders: ask at Reception.
Cycling: lock up inside the courtyard, never to the listed street gates.
Two Temple Place
- Address
- Two Temple Place, London WC2R 3BD
- Nearest
- Temple on the Circle and District lines, plus Embankment, Charing Cross, Holborn and Blackfriars. Charing Cross and Blackfriars rail are both a 15 minute walk. Strand buses include the 9, 15, 23, 26, 76, 87 and 341
- Hours
- Open on select days only. Building Tours on 12 November 2026 and 11 December 2026, then the free exhibition Gathering Rest from 23 January to 18 April 2027, 11am to 4.30pm. Free Open House days fall once a year in September
- Booking
- Building Tours and group tours must be booked through the What’s On page. Group tours run on weekdays during exhibitions and on specific dates otherwise
- Price
- Building Tours 12 pounds. Exhibitions free
- Standing
- A late Victorian neo-Gothic mansion off the Embankment, owned by The Bulldog Trust and opened for exhibitions drawn from regional and university collections rather than a permanent display
How to get in
The building is closed most of the year, so there is no turning up: outside the exhibition season the only access is a 12 pound Building Tour on a handful of published dates, while the exhibition itself is free. Wheelchair access is by a Baronmead Stairmate Major stair climber with a 200kg total limit, taking chairs under 88cm long and 70cm wide, and it is not used in icy weather. Nothing larger than cabin size, 55 by 40 by 25cm, is allowed in the building, with the nearest left luggage at Charing Cross. Sensory bags and ear defenders are available from Reception at every opening, and bikes must be locked inside the courtyard rather than to the Grade II listed street gates.
Where to go next
Somerset House is next door and open far more often, and the Courtauld is inside it.
Dennis Severs’ House is the other great unexpected interior, and free museums covers what opens daily.
Questions we get asked
Can you visit Two Temple Place any time?
No. It opens on select days only, for exhibitions, building tours and events. As of October 2026 the next openings were £12 Building Tours on 12 November and 11 December 2026, then the free exhibition Gathering Rest from 23 January to 18 April 2027. It is also open free for one or two days each September as part of Open House and Heritage Open Days.
Is Two Temple Place free?
The exhibitions are free, and so are the annual Open House days in September. Building Tours, which are the only way in outside the exhibition season, cost £12 for an hour. So waiting for the exhibition is both cheaper and gives longer in the building.
Is Two Temple Place wheelchair accessible?
Yes, with conditions worth checking first. A short flight of stone steps leads to the entrance, and wheelchair access is by a Baronmead Stairmate Major stair climber with a total weight limit of 200kg, taking wheelchairs under 88cm long and 70cm wide. The venue reserves the right not to use it if a chair is too heavy, and the manufacturer advises against using it in icy conditions, so call 020 7836 3715 before visiting. Inside, a lift reaches all floors and there is an adapted toilet on the ground floor.
Can you take a suitcase into Two Temple Place?
No. Nothing larger than cabin size, 55 by 40 by 25cm, is accepted in the building, and the cloakroom that does exist is unstaffed. The venue points visitors to the left luggage facilities at Charing Cross Station instead.
Does Two Temple Place have sensory bags?
Yes, at every exhibition and open day. The SEN bags are curated kits intended to reduce overstimulation and support neurodivergent visitors, holding interactive sensory resources, and they are collected from Reception along with ear defenders. A quiet space is also available on request, and large print label books are provided in each room during exhibitions, including yellow paper versions and a choice of colour overlays.
How do you get to Two Temple Place?
Temple station on the Circle and District lines is nearest, with Embankment, Charing Cross, Holborn and Blackfriars also close. Charing Cross and Blackfriars rail stations are each about 15 minutes on foot, and the 9, 15, 23, 26, 76, 87 and 341 buses run along the Strand. Blue Badge parking is available on the corner of Temple Place and on Surrey Street and Essex Street.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 376 in the guide.
Last checked 6 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
