The Temple

This weekend was The Temple Open Weekend, my favourite type of London event: a free opportunity to explore London's history by wandering through buildings, getting a glimpse of some spaces that aren't otherwise as easily accessible. The open weekend was part of the 400th anniversary celebrations of two of the four London inns of court, Inner Temple and Middle Temple, which, together with the Temple Church, occupy the area collectively known as the Temple. According to the souvenir guide we were given, the Honourable Societies of Inner Temple and Middle Temple are two of the institutions that "are responsible for the selection, training and regulation of barristers in England and Wales," with collective memberships in the societies comprising some 8,600 judges, barristers, and students. James I granted freehold of the substantial grounds to the Temple, and as we wandered, we couldn't believe how much space the Temple comprised, including lovely gardens,

as well as a number of streets within the complex.

Some of the buildings that we entered contained the offices of the people who worked at the Temple, and in this particular building, a man stood outside his office, talking with a group of people about his work. He casually mentioned that he had defended both the Kray brothers and that he had received this painting, done by Ronnie Kray in prison, as a gift. I'll leave the art criticism to you.

Middle Temple Hall is rather breathtaking inside, with its imposing roof.

The wooden screen at the entrance to the hall was originally carved in 1574,

and the view of the hall from above the screen is quite lovely. The most repeated historical tidbit about Middle Temple Hall is that it was the site of the first performance of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night on 2 February 1602.

Just as we were leaving, I noticed this painting on the wall--a painting that depicted the ruined landscape of exactly where I was standing!

Apparently this damage happened during World War II, and the repairs were so finely done that the joinery work is now virtually undetectable. Still, it was a very surreal moment to be staring at the painting, looking around me, feeling as if I should be surrounded by rubble. This sheep is the symbol of Middle Temple, and can be found everywhere on the grounds:

The establishment of the Temple in 1608 is commemorated in Middle Temple:

The smaller rooms adjoining the hall are packed with detail, almost claustrophically so!

Even with the crowds that had come for the open weekend, the grounds were filled with a sense of serenity.

Inner Temple Hall was less dramatic than Middle Temple Hall, but obviously still worth a visit!

The winged horse is the symbol of Inner Temple, and as with Middle Temple's sheep, can be found everywhere on the Inner Temple grounds.

We found we were running out of time at this point (I didn't expect so many buildings to be open) so we headed across the grounds

to look inside Temple Church, built by the Knights Templar and consecrated in 1185.

With only a few minutes left in the opening, we left the church and made our way out of the grounds,

feeling lucky to have seen another new (to us) part of this vast city!