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Middle Temple Hall

Today I visited Middle Temple Hall which is one of the four ancient Inns of Court. Inns of Court are the professional associations for barristers (lawyers) in England and Wales. All barristers must belong to one such association. They have supervisory and disciplinary functions over their members. The Inns also provide libraries, dining facilities and professional accommodation. It is a self-contained precinct where barristers traditionally train and practice.

Middle Temple Hall was built between 1562 and 1573 and remains virtually unchanged to this day having survived the Great Fire of London and both World Wars. Middle Temple has one of the finest examples of an Elizabethan hall in the England with a double hammer beam roof carved from the oak of Windsor Forest and an elaborately carved screen made in 1574.

It was a fantastic tour and I will go back to have lunch there and make sure I visit the Temple Church nearby.

The entrance
The lamb and flag is the emblem of Middle Temple
The double hammer beam roof
One side of the Elizabethan hall with the carved screen
The Elizabethian hall
One of many nicely decorated chairs
The carved screen made in 1574 in the hall. The stained glass windows were removed at the beginning of WWII and stored. There was damage during the war to the window and the screen. All parts of the screen were gathered up after the WWII destruction and reassembled.