An Elizabethan Treasure In The Heart Of London: A Visit To Middle Temple Hall

Temple, I think, is one of the most charming and interesting historic areas of London to simply amble around. It has a number of peaceful gardens, one of the most historic churches in London, atmospheric courtyards and an array of historic survivors.

I was lucky enough recently to be shown inside one of the buildings that I had admired from the outside many times: Middle Temple Hall. 

Sandwiched between Fleet Street and the river to the South, Temple is a unique area of the city. It was once the headquarters of the Knights Templar. They were a crusading order of warrior monks, established in the 12th century originally to protect pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. They grew, however, into an international military and financial institution. The Order was disbanded in 1312 and much of their land and wealth seized by the crown. 

The Establishment of Middle Temple 

After the Templars had been dissolved, lawyers then occupied the area from the mid-14th century. They organised themselves into two societies called Inner Temple (based on the consecrated ground around Temple Church) and Middle Temple (on the unconsecrated ground, further to the West). These two ‘Inns of Court’, as they are known, are training and standards institutions, that also provide accommodation to barristers in London.

The other two Inns of Court are Lincoln’s Inn and Gray’s Inn in Holborn. All barristers in England and Wales are members of one of the four Inns of Court in London.

The first recorded documentary evidence of Middle Temple is from 1388. From the early 1400s the Inn functioned as a place of learning with twice yearly ‘Readings’ taking place. Mock courts would also be set up, for students to practice pleading cases. Once their traing was complete they would be ‘called to the bar’ and become fully fledged barristers.

Middle Temple Hall

Middle Temple Hall is the grand centrepiece of the Honourable Society of Middle Temple. It is a communal space for dining and events, as well as historically for educational purposes. 

The hall was constructed from 1562-1574 under the leadership of Edmund Plowden, who was Treasurer of the Inn at the time. 

This is a bust of Plowden in the hall.

He was apparently offered the Lord Chancellor position by Elizabeth I, but turned it down as he was a Catholic and would have had to change his religion. 

Amazingly, the hall is still largely intact from that original construction. There are plenty of incredible details to spot. 

It has a magnificent oak double-hammerbeam roof, one of the finest in England.

All around the hall and Middle Temple in general you will see the symbol of Middle Temple: the St George’s cross and the Paschal lamb or the ‘lamb of god’ with a flag. It had been a symbol associated with the Knights Templar that was then taken on by the Inn.

Blitz Damage And The Wooden Screen

At the entrance to the hall you can see this incredible carved oak screen, depicting detailed carvings of flowers and mythological figures.

This is actually a post-war reconstruction but it was made almost entirely from the original fragments. On the 15th October 1940 a land-mine attached to a parachute landed in Temple and caused widespread damage. A huge piece of masonry was sent flying through the East Window of the Hall smashing apart the Minstrel’s gallery and oak screen. 

Above the screen is what was once the Minstrels Gallery, where musicians would be stationed to play their instruments for masques and theatre. 

Temple as an area was devastated during the Blitz. Inner Temple, for example, completely lost their hall in the war. 

Coats Of Arms Galore

All around the walls of the hall are hundreds of these panels.

These display the coats of arms of the two most important figures in the hall at any one time: the Treasurer and the Reader. The Treasurer is the strategic head of the Inn, whereas the reader is in charge of the educational side.

If you are wondering how people pick their coats of arms today, you can see a couple of example below.

Royalty And Shakespeare

Elizabeth I is known to have visited Middle Temple Hall in 1578. The high table is said to have been given to the Inn by Queen Elizabeth I, carved from a single oak tree, floated down the River Thames from Windsor. The high table is where the benchers (Masters of the Bench) sit, the senior governing members of the Inn. 

On the 2nd February (the Feast of Candelmas) 1602, the first recorded performance of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night was performed in the hall. The performance was recorded by John Manningham, who was a student there at the time. It is believed that Queen Elizabeth I herself commissioned the play as part of her celebrations of Christmas that year. There is no evidence she was in attendance for the performance in Middle Temple Hall however.

Paintings

At the Western end of the Hall there is an imperious series of paintings of monarchs. 

The central portrait is of King Charles I and was acquired by the Inn in 1684. The painter is thought to be Sir Peter Lely, who worked in the studio of Sir Anthony Van Dyck. 

Flanking him are Charles II and James, Duke of York. They were acquired by the Inn to show fealty and support of the Stuart dynasty. They were later joined by portraits of Queen Anne, William III, King George I and finally the portrait of Queen Elizabeth I that dates from the later 18th or early 19th century, in whose reign the hall was constructed. 

Links to The USA

In the entranceway to the hall is a series of plaques relating to Middle Temple Hall’s relationship with the USA. 

For example, Sir John Popham, Treasurer of Middle Temple from 1580-1588 was the driving force behind the establishment of the Virginia Company in 1606. Other Middle Templars were involved such as Edwin Sandys who drafted the company’s charters. Thomas Hanham explored Popham Colony (Maine). 

Five Middle Templars also signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and seven signed the Constitution in 1787. 

Exploring The Other Rooms Of Middle Temple Hall

The Parliament Chamber

I also had a look at a couple of the other rooms attached to the hall. You walk down a corridor, again covered in armorial plates. 

The Parliament Chamber dates from the 1820s and was originally constructed as the library. 

Today it is used as a space for receptions, dinners and meetings of the Inn’s Parliament, made up of Masters of the Bench. 

Underneath the table is a bell. This is the bell used to call dinner service once all discussions have finished and is rung by the most junior of the masters present. 

In here is one of the oldest items in possession of the Inn. This painting depicts the Judgement of Solomon, dating from the late 16th century. 

The Queen’s Room

The Queen’s Room is named after the Queen Mother who was the Royal bencher from 1949. There is always a ‘Royal Bencher’, the current one being Prince William. 

The portrait of her in the centre was apparently one of her favourite portraits of herself. 

There is also a little, easy-to-mis,s nod to her name on the carpet. Her name was Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon and, on the carpet, you can see three bows and a lion. 

In here, as well, they have marked where an anti-aircraft shell came through the building and landed during the First World War, on the 30th September 1917. 

Below is a painting of the dinner the Queen Mother attended at the Hall in 1949. The fact that the Queen Mother and her maid are the only women in the painting shows you just how much the world has changed since the 1940s!

The Prince’s Room 

Finally, the Prince’s Room is essentially the lounge. It used to be the ‘smoking room’ and today is named after Prince William. 

This is Flemish 16th century armour thought to have belonged to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, the close companion of Queen Elizabeth I.

It has snails on it which are a symbol associated with Dudley. 

How To Visit

I am publishing this blog post on the 11th September and on the 14th September 2025, Middle Temple Hall is open from 12-4pm as part of the Open House Festival! The Open House Festival takes place every year in September, so if you cannot make it this year, sign up to their newsletter for next year. 

You can see the Hall by going for lunch there. They serve lunch Tuesday-Friday 12-2pm, find out more here.

You can also book group tours of minimum ten people with lunch on Fridays. 

Thank you very much for reading as always, more of London’s incredible historic sights below.