{"id":5377,"date":"2019-01-06T09:46:24","date_gmt":"2019-01-06T09:46:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/britanniastudents.com\/?p=5377"},"modified":"2020-07-13T12:32:51","modified_gmt":"2020-07-13T11:32:51","slug":"weird-and-wonderful-architecture-near-spitalfields","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/britanniastudents.com\/blog\/weird-and-wonderful-architecture-near-spitalfields\/","title":{"rendered":"Weird and Wonderful Architecture Near Spitalfields"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whenever I study abroad I always try to find time to take a tour of the area\u2019s architecture to see whatever is unusual or striking. If you choose Spitalfields for your student housing, London<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s most unique monuments and buildings will be virtually on your doorstep.<\/p>\n

Spitalfields is on the eastern side of the city centre so you don\u2019t have to go far to see some of the best examples of the unique from all periods of history. You might feel that you are living in the heart of the most modern part of London, but you will be delightfully surprised by some of the unexpected historic treasures that hide in between the cutting edge towers.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Masonic Temple, Andaz Liverpool Street<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Masonic Temple is just a short walk from your Spitalfields student housing. London was home to a very wealthy Masonic group who, in 1912, commissioned the great architect Charles Barry (famous for the Houses of Parliament) to build them a temple that cost \u00a350,000 (the equivalent of \u00a34,000,000 today).<\/p>\n

Its Doric-style columns give it the appearance of an ancient Greek temple, and inside there are four different types of Italian marble. The Masons are a highly secret society so it\u2019s rather appropriate that the structure was only rediscovered decades after it was boarded up in World War II. This is one of London\u2019s truly forgotten secrets!<\/p>\n

Today the building functions as a hotel, and if you want to explore the interior then the best way is to book tickets to one of the events that take place throughout the year. These range from Open House weekends to pop-up opera performances to public dinners.<\/p>\n