Lincoln's Inn

 This week is Open House week which gives me an opportunity to get behind the doors of some interesting and historic buildings. Lincoln's Inn is one of those buildings. I have posted photos of it before but I've never been inside until today.

The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is an association of barristers and judges and is one of the four historic Inns of Court. The Inns have the exclusive right to call students to the Bar of England and Wales, the start of their career as barristers. It is not known when Lincoln's Inn first emerged but records go back as far as 1422. The 11 acre site has a number of Grade I and II listed buildings.

The oldest surviving building on the site is the Old Hall. It was built in 1489-92 with bricks made of local clay. Between 1737 and 1875 it was used as the Court of Chancery and is featured in Bleak House by Charles Dickens. It had to be almost rebuilt in the 1920s. Great care was taken to retain as much of the original building as possible.

This wooden screen dates from 1624. Originally it was in a different position and divided the hall providing an entrance to the kitchen and cellars. It included a minstrels gallery, from which musicians would play to entertain guests during dinners and other events.

This is the Great Hall, built in 1843-45 and opened by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. 

This is the largest hall in the four inns of court. Members lunch here Monday to Friday.

The walls are filled with the coats of arms of Treasurers of the Inn and senior judges. looking around I found the names of a number of Prime Ministers including Neville Chamberlain,  Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair. and so on. A large number of PMs were barristers before going into politics.

From the Great Hall you walk into the library which was built at the same time as the hall.

Looking back towards the Great Hall you can see portraits of members on the wall including Tony Blair (Labour PM 1997-2007) and on the other side Margaret Thatcher (Conservative PM 1979-1990).

The book collection is the oldest law library in the country.

The chapel was built in 1621-23. In October  1915 a Zeppelin bomb fell in Old Square and two chapel windows were destroyed. During WW2, the glass was removed for safety and was replaced after the war.

This is a small fragment of carving from a smaller chapel on this site which was demolished in 1620. The reflection shows the 17th century stained glass windows.

The enclosed pews in the chapel.

Some of the gardens surrounding the Inn.