Paleys Upon Pilers marks the spot of Aldgate and its distinguished literary resident, Geoffrey Chaucer. The project formed part of the core programme for the London Architecture Festival 2012. This historic eastern gateway into the City of London existed as a physical entity from Roman times until 1761 and the site remains a strategic position in London today, standing at the beginning of High Street 2012 that leads to the Olympic Park. The Paleys also signals the change that is going to take place in this area over the next decade. Our design has been inspired by two dream poems by Chaucer, which he wrote while resident in the rooms above the gate from 1374 to 1386. The House of Fame and The Parliament of Fowls both include images of fantastic dream-like temples of impossible materials and scale, elevated on precarious, precious structures and accompanied by walled places with City-like characteristics. Paleys upon Pilers is an abstraction of the uppermost room of the old gate and speaks to Chaucer’s elevated temples, while providing a focus for the public space and highlighting the extent of the old City walls. The structure consists of a timber embroidery and sits in the air above the busy Aldgate High Street, supported on pillars decorated with a screen-printed pattern inspired by the illuminated manuscripts.