Lincoln's Inn (Inns of Court)

Laying down the law

Address:

Lincoln's Inn Fields - Hampstead
WC2A 3TL - Covent Garden/Holborn
London

Nearest Bus or Train:

Chancery Lane

Open Hours:

Treasury office: 10a-4p M-F

Lincoln's Inn is the oldest of London's four remaining Inns of Court - areas where those in the legal profession have traditionally lived, studied and worked (the others are Gray's Inn, Middle Temple and Inner Temple). Lincoln's Inn offers many architectural delights and surprises such as a striking gatehouse, a 17th century chapel and a lovely little garden which features a toolshed in the shape of a castle. Because the Inn is still working as an educational centre, only the garden and chapel are regularly open to the public. The 15th century Old Hall, which plays a role in Dickens' novel Bleak House, is the most antique part of the complex, but access to it is by appointment only. Those who have studied law at Lincoln's Inn include Oliver Cromwell, John Donne, Benjamin Disraeli and Margaret Thatcher.

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