The niches are filled by busts, half of which were carved by John Michael Rysbrack for a previous building in the gardens. They portray John Milton, William Shakespeare, John Locke, Sir Isaac Newton, Sir Francis Bacon, Elizabeth I, William III and Inigo Jones. The other eight are by Peter Scheemakers, which were commissioned especially for the Temple. These represent Alexander Pope, Sir Thomas Gresham, King Alfred the Great, The Black Prince, Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Francis Drake, John Hampden and Sir John Barnard (Whig MP and opponent of the Whig Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole). [Wikipedia].