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Temple Church in the heart of London is one of the very few mediæval churches - or mediæval building of any kind - to survive both the Great Fire of London (1666) and the Blitz (1940-41)
Built originally by the Knights Templar in their characteristic circular style it is also one of the very few surviving Templar churches in Britain. Adjoined to the circular nave is a rectangular chancel.
The Temple was first consecrated in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 10 February 1185 by Heraclius, Patriarch of Jerusalem.
As Henry III had indicated that he wished to be buried in this church, the original chancel was much enlarged and this new part of the church was consecrated on Ascension Day 1240 in the presence of Henry. In the end the monarch changed his mind, and he was buried in Westminster Abbey.
In 1307 after mounting tensions between the Templars, various European rulers jealous of their wealth, and the Vatican, they were excommunicated en masse by the Pope and bloodily disbanded. King Edward II of England gave the Temple Church to the Knights Hospitallers who held it until Henry VIII's reign and the turbulence of the Reformation.
The church remained in Royal hands until 1608 when King James I granted the whole area around and including the church to the two societies of lawyers - the Inner Temple and the Middle Temple. These societies have maintained the church to a high standard ever since; and it is referred to as the "Mother Church of the Common Law".
For a much fuller history see Link
The church was much restored during the Victorian era - see an interesting and informative article here Link
The Temple suffered extensive damage during WWII, most particularly on the night of 10th May 1941 when incendiary bombs set fire to the roof. The fire spread to the organ and thence to the wooden fittings within the church. The heat was so intense that the columns of the chancel split, but the vault survived. In the round, the wooden roof collapsed onto the effigies of the knights below.
It was not until 1958, some seventeen years later, that the church was fully restored. The Round Church was rededicated on 7th November of that year by the Archbishop of Canterbury in the presence of Queens Elizabeth II and Elizabeth the Queen Mother and Prince Philip - the chancel having been rededicated four years earlier on 23rd March 1954.