A London Most Visitors Never See

Legal London Walking Tour:-

The Inns of Court and Royal Courts of Justice

Discover the remarkable world of English law on a three-hour walking tour through London's historic legal quarter.

For centuries, barristers, judges and lawyers have worked in the Inns of Court — secluded communities of halls, gardens, libraries and chambers hidden behind the busy streets of central London.

The tour explores the four Inns of Court and the Royal Courts of Justice, while telling the stories of the people, traditions and events that shaped English law.

No legal knowledge is required.
The tour is about history, people and places as much as it is about law.

What You Will See

Lincoln's Inn

Walk through the largest of the four Inns of Court and see its remarkable historic buildings, including the Old Hall and the Great Hall.

Lincoln's Inn has produced generations of distinguished lawyers and judges. Sixteen British Prime Ministers have been members of the Inn.

We do not normally enter the Great Hall, but its history and interior form part of the story of the Inn.

Gray's Inn

Discover another of London's hidden legal communities and its long association with some of the most important figures in English legal history.

The story includes Francis Bacon, one of the Inn's most celebrated members, and the extraordinary world in which the Inns developed as centres of legal education.

The Royal Courts of Justice

See one of London's great Victorian buildings and discover why England's principal civil courts were moved here from Westminster Hall in the nineteenth century.

We will discuss how the English court system works, the difference between barristers and solicitors and what actually happens inside the courts.

Middle Temple

Explore one of the most beautiful parts of legal London and discover Middle Temple's remarkable connections with the United States.

Five signatories of the American Declaration of Independence were members of Middle Temple, as was John Dickinson, sometimes called the "Penman of the Revolution."

Middle Temple also provides the setting for the story of Helena Normanton, the first woman admitted to an Inn of Court, and the extraordinary tradition under which aspiring barristers once had to qualify by eating dinners.

Normanton had to complete 70 dinners before she could be called to the Bar.

Inner Temple and Temple Church

Walk through Inner Temple and visit the surroundings of Temple Church, founded by the Knights Templar in the twelfth century.

Here we explore the church's association with Magna Carta and the fascinating difference between the way Magna Carta is remembered in Britain and the United States.

Three Hours — Centuries of Legal History

Along the way there are stories of judges, barristers, monarchs, politicians, reformers and some of the most colourful characters in English legal history.

You will also discover why barristers wear wigs, how lawyers were trained, why dining became part of qualifying for the Bar, and how traditions established centuries ago survive in modern legal London.

Tour Information

Duration: approximately 3 hours
Price: £25 per person
Location: Central London legal quarter
Language: English
Walking: This is a walking tour, so comfortable footwear is recommended.

The Inns of Court are working professional institutions. Access to particular courtyards, gardens, buildings or the courts can occasionally be restricted without notice. The precise route may therefore vary.