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Coordinates: 51°30′43″N 0°06′40″W / 51.512°N 0.111°W / 51.512; -0.111

The Temple is an area of central London, in the vicinity of Temple Church, which is one of the main legal districts of the capital and a notable centre for English law, both historically and in the present day. Two of the four Inns of Court, the Inner Temple and the Middle Temple, are located here and the Royal Courts of Justice are just to the north. The rough boundaries of the wider Temple district are the River Thames (the Victoria Embankment) to the south, Surrey Street to the west, Strand and Fleet Street to the north, and Carmelite Street and Whitefriars Street to the east. The Temple is mostly in the City of London, but a small western part is in the City of Westminster.

The district contains many barristers' chambers, solicitors' offices, as well as some notable legal institutions such as the Employment Appeal Tribunal.[1] The International Institute for Strategic Studies has its headquarters at Arundel House, near Temple tube station.[2]

[edit] Toponymy

The name is recorded in the 12th century as Novum Tumplum, meaning 'New Temple'.[3] It is named from a house belonging to the Knights Templar. The 'Old Temple' was located in Holborn. The name is shared with Inner Temple, Middle Temple, Temple Church and the Temple Bar.[3]

[edit] History

A Seal of the Knights Templar, who founded the Temple on the banks of the River Thames

The Temple was originally the precinct of the Knights Templar whose Temple Church was named in honour of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The Knights had two halls, whose modern successors are the Middle Temple Hall and the Inner Temple Hall. Only the Inner Temple Hall preserves elements of the medieval hall on the site, however (namely, the medieval Buttery).

Upon dissolution of the Knights Templar, the Temple passed into the hands of the Knights Hospitaller. By the fourteenth century, lawyers were already recorded as in residence in the Temple. When the Knights Hospitaller departed, the barristers remained. Their current tenure dates from a charter granted to them by James I in 1608.

The western portion of the wider Temple area was granted to the Earl of Essex (family name Devereux) who gave his name to Essex Court, within Middle Temple, and to Essex Street and Devereux Court just outside it.

The area of the Temple was increased when the River Thames was embanked by the Victoria Embankment, releasing land to the south which previously lay within the tidal reaches of the river. The original bank of the river can clearly be seen in a drop in ground level, for example in the Inner Temple Gardens or the stairs at the bottom of Essex Street.

The area suffered much damage due to enemy air raids in World War II and many of the buildings, especially in the Inner Temple and Middle Temple inns, had to be rebuilt. Temple Church itself was also badly damaged and had to be rebuilt. None-the-less the Temple is rich with Grade I Listed buildings.

[edit] Inner Temple and Middle Temple

Looking down Middle Temple Lane - the buildings are occupied by barristers' chambers.

Part of the Inner Temple Garden and buildings.

The core of the district lies in the City of London and consists of two Inns of Court: Inner Temple (eastern part) and Middle Temple (western part). The Temple Church is roughly central to these two inns and is governed by both of them.

The Inns each have their own gardens, dining halls, libraries and administrative offices, all located in their part of the Temple. Most of the land is, however, taken up by buildings in which barristers practise from sets of rooms known as chambers.

Until the twentieth century, many of the chambers in the Temple were also residential accommodation for barristers; however, shortage of space for professional purposes gradually limited the number of residential sets to the very top floors, which are largely occupied by senior barristers and judges, many of whom use them as pied-à-terres, having their family home outside of London. (There are also a limited number of rooms reserved for new barristers undertaking the Bar Professional Training Course.) This, coupled with a general move of population out of the City of London, has made the Temple much quieter outside working hours than it appears, for example, in the novels of Charles Dickens, which frequently allude to the Temple. Today, approximately a quarter of the chambers buildings in the Inner Temple and Middle Temple include residential accommodation, and current planning policy is to retain this where possible, in order to retain the special "collegiate" character of the Temple Inns of Court.[4]

There is also a 19th century building called "The Outer Temple", situated between Essex Court and Strand, just outside the Middle Temple boundary in the City of Westminster, but this is not part of the modern Inns of Court, has commercial landowners and is not directly related to the historic and long-defunct Outer Temple inn.

An area known as Serjeant's Inn was formerly outside the Temple, although at one time also occupied by lawyers (the Serjeants-at-Law). However, it has recently been acquired by the Inner Temple (it is adjacent and connected to King's Bench Walk in the Inner Temple) and now has a number of barristers' chambers.

[edit] Liberty

Inner Temple and Middle Temple are two of the few remaining liberties, an old name for a geographic division. They are independent extra-parochial areas,[5] historically not governed by the City of London Corporation[6] (and are today regarded as local authorities for most purposes[7]) and equally outside the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Bishop of London. They geographically fall within the boundaries and liberties of the City of London, but can be thought of as independent enclaves. They both are part of the City ward of Farringdon Without.

The southern boundary of the Temple liberties was the natural bank of the River Thames until the Victoria Embankment was constructed (1865–1870). The boundary of the Temple liberties remained fixed despite this notable engineering work, which meant that the Inner and Middle Temple lost their frontage and access to the Thames. (The boundaries of the Inner and Middle Temple liberties have not changed in centuries, although both now own properties just beyond their liberties' boundary.) The Victoria Embankment (which is a major thoroughfare with an Underground line running beneath) does not therefore form part of the Inner or Middle Temple - the southern boundary today runs along the boundary fence where the Temple gardens meets the Victoria Embankment road, more-or-less where the original bank of the Thames was. The City of London's southern boundary on the other hand runs along the centre of the Thames itself.

[edit] Temple tube station and pier

Temple tube station

Temple gives its name to Temple tube station, served by the District (green) and Circle (yellow) lines, which is situated in the southwest of the area, between Temple Place and the Victoria Embankment. There is also a Temple Pier on the Victoria Embankment, situated near the Tube station immediately upstream of the Westminster-City of London boundary; HQS Wellington is permanently moored there.

[edit] See also

• History of London
• Law of the United Kingdom
• Temple Bar, London
• Inner Temple Library
• Gray's Inn
• Lincoln's Inn

[edit] References

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8 Feb 2012, 3:02pm under the terms of the GFDL.

Annotations

• N Alan Woodward on Sat 4 Jan 2003, 01:23am. Flag this

  This is the Church of the Knight Templars which was built in 1185.

• N Stuart Woodward on Sat 4 Jan 2003, 06:29am. Flag this

  From: http://www.innertemple.org.uk/history/history.htm

  “By about 1350, when the royal courts were sitting permanently at Westminster, the Temple had become a home for lawyers and from an early date, it seems that there were two independent legal societies based there, Inner and Middle Temple, each occupying a separate hall.

  In 1608, James I granted the Temple to the Benchers of the two Inns in free and common socage. The division of the site between the two societies was formalised in 1732 by a deed of partition, with only the Temple Church, the Masters house and garden and the churchyard remaining in common. “

  We can assume that anyone he meets there is a lawyer or is training to be a lawyer.

  c.f. http://www.innertemplelibrary.org.uk/temple-history/inner-temple-history-introduction-part-1.htm

• N Nigel Pond on Fri 16 May 2003, 07:00pm. Flag this

  A (belated and somewhat lengthy) note on the Temple and Chambers.

  “The Temple” refers to the Middle Temple and Inner Temple on the Strand in London. They, together with Lincoln’s Inn and Grays Inn, comprise the Inns of Court, which are the institutions charged with calling to the Bar (“admitting”) those who have the appropriate qualifications (the Bar exam and have kept terms ie dined the appropriate number of times in their Inn) to become Barristers (one half of the split legal profession in the UK, the other being “solicitors”).

  The Inns of Court were originally just that — inns. After the Crusades the Knights Templar congregated in the Inns and lived there. Over time the Crusaders moved out and the lawyers moved in. There are still many vestiges of the presence of the Knights Templar - for example the 12 century round section of the Temple Church (which is shared by the Inner and Middle Temples). This part of the church still contains effigies of Knights Templar who were buried in the church. The Temple Church was damaged by German bombs during the Blitz and repaired after generous donations by the American Bar Association.

  So on to “Chambers”. Practicing Barristers (as opposed to those who work in-house like me) are self-employed. They do not work in firms or partnerships and they do not share profits. They do however group together in sets of Chambers (usually designated by their address such as “11 King’s Bench Walk”, “9 Old Square” etc) where they share the services (and expsenses) of a clerk (who manages the chambers, collects fees etc) and other office personnel. All members of chambers contribute to Chambers expenses, but after those deductions they keep what they have each earned.

  Useful links:

  http://www.templarhistory.com
  http://www.middletemple.org.uk
  http://www.innertemple.org.uk
  http://www.lincolnsinn.org.uk
  http://www.graysinn.org.uk
  http://www.templechurch.com
  

• N Pedro. on Thu 14 Oct 2004, 09:23pm. Flag this

  The courts of the Inner and Middle Temple.

  For history and detailed tour round this area see…

  http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Cabana/9424/temple1.htm

• N Alan Bedford on Mon 15 Nov 2004, 06:30pm. Flag this

  And here’s the site of the Temple on the John Rocque 1746 map: http://www.motco.com/Map/81002/SeriesSearchPlatesFullb.asp?mode=query&artist=384&other=316&x=11&y=11

• N CAROL LUKASAVAGE on Sun 13 Feb 2005, 03:40pm. Flag this

  I have a small silver plaque 2.5.inches by 3 inches
  depicting the main gate at Temple Bar. Which has been in my family for at least 3 generations. Does anyone know where and why these were made. Or in fact any information relating to the plaque would be much appreciated

• N Pauline on Thu 10 Nov 2005, 04:08am. Flag this

  from L&M Companion
  A walled and gated liberty or district stretching from the s. side of Fleet St. to the Thames (now to the Victoria Embankment), the name being a relic of its ownership by the order of Knights Templars (dissolved 1313). Owned and governed by the Benchers of the Middle and Inner Temple and comprising those two Inns of Court and the Temple Church. It suffered extensive damage in the Fire and in 1939-45.

• N Terry Foreman on Sun 6 Sep 2009, 11:36pm. Flag this

  The Temple:

  The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Temple

  The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner_Temple

References in the diary

1660

Jan: 2, 3
Feb: 2, 4, 7, 8, 9
Jun: 9
Jul: 9
Nov: 16, 20, 25
Dec: 6

1661

Apr: 14
May: 21, 25, 30
Jun: 4
Aug: 15
Nov: 8, 14, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 30
Dec: 3, 4, 5, 9, 18

1662

Apr: 13
May: 4, 9, 19
Jun: 18
Jul: 11
Aug: 17
Oct: 21
Nov: 9, 12, 17, 20, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29
Dec: 3, 5, 26

1663

Jan: 28
Feb: 2, 5, 6, 13, 14, 16, 17, 20, 25, 28
Mar: 3, 16, 20
Apr: 1, 8, 25
May: 8, 14, 23, 26, 27, 28
Jun: 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 29
Jul: 13, 15, 18, 21, 24
Aug: 11
Oct: 5, 24, 26, 29
Nov: 19, 22, 23, 30
Dec: 7, 17

1664

Feb: 3, 10
Mar: 4
Apr: 19, 20
Jun: 29
Jul: 18
Aug: 1, 15
Dec: 7

1665

Jun: 1
Jul: 18

1666

Mar: 7
May: 29
Aug: 8
Sep: 6, 7, 27
Oct: 13, 15, 22
Nov: 23
Dec: 25

1667

Jan: 2, 7, 9, 28
Feb: 11, 14, 16, 27
Mar: 8, 20
Apr: 8
Jun: 16
Jul: 29, 30
Aug: 8, 24
Sep: 17, 28
Oct: 31
Nov: 11, 22, 26
Dec: 27

1668

Jan: 5, 8, 14, 24, 27, 30
Feb: 8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 18, 26
Mar: 6, 8, 22, 29
Apr: 2, 14, 16, 23, 28
May: 1, 2, 12, 14, 15, 21, 27
Jun: 4
Jul: 1
Aug: 12, 14, 28
Sep: 10, 13, 14, 16
Nov: 20, 23
Dec: 7, 9, 14, 21

1669

Jan: 13, 18, 21, 27, 29