Lincoln's Inn Fields

A very rainy day meant there was no point in my travelling out to Essex walking around my next Underground station (info here ) so I decided to stay in London and go to a museum instead. I am in Lincoln's Inn Fields, the largest public square in London.

Laid out in the 1630s, the centre of the square is a large park where I used to play netball many, many years ago. I came here today to visit Sir John Soane's Museum. He was an architect who is probably most remembered for designing the Bank of England.

 He bought 3 houses and rebuilt them from the inside out. The centre one is the light coloured stone  one above. The inside of the museum has been left just as he wanted it to be, crammed with paintings, sculptures and antiquities. Many of his architectural drawings as well as models are also displayed. Only 70 people are allowed in at any one time so there are usually queues outside. No photography is allowed so I can't show you anything. It is free entry and is definitely worth a visit.

One side of the square is Lincoln's Inn separated from the square by a brick wall. Lincoln's Inn is one of the four inns that make up the inns of court.to which barristers of England and Wales belong. It is such a pity the weather was so grey and wet making the buildings look dull.

Inside Lincoln's Inn. It was now pouring  with rain but I couldn't leave without taking  a few photos as quickly as I could of these 16th and 17th cent buildings.

                                                                   

                                                 

                                                      

                                                                  

                                                                                                   

                                 

                                                    

The chapel was open so in I went to escape the rain and have a look around.  The first chapel was built here in 1428. This chapel was built between 1620 and 1623 but there have been numerous renovations over the years.

I loved the stained glass window with the numerous heraldic shields.

Beneath the chapel is this wonderful 15th cent vaulted undercroft.

                                                                             

                                                   

                                                                        

With no let up in the weather it was time to go home. Of course one advantage of the rain was the abundance of reflections to share with James at Weekend Reflections