 The temple and villa remained in the hands of Garrick 's wife until her death in 1822 at the age of 98 . It was subsequently bought by her solicitor , Thomas Carr , who preserved it as a monument to Garrick and even erected a statue of him in the temple to replace the Roubiliac Shakespeare . It changed hands several more times until , in 1923 , the villa was converted into apartments . The riverside lawn was sold separately along with the temple and was bought by a Paul Glaize , who built a three @-@ storey house alongside the temple . This caused such controversy and public outcry that in 1932 the site was bought by Hampton Urban District Council so that Glaize 's Temple House could be demolished . The lawn and temple were subsequently opened to the public . They have remained in public ownership ever since . 
