Aldersgate Ward Club

                                                Aldersgate Ward Club visit to Middles Temple with lunch, Friday 11th July 2025

Twenty Three Ward Club members and their guests spent an enjoyable half day at the historic Middle Temple on 11th July. Middle Temple is one of the four Inns of Court, the other three being Inner Temple which is adjacent to Middle Temple, Gray’s Inn and Lincoln’s Inn.

It being a lovely summer’s day, our visit started outside with an introduction by our guide who explained that the site was originally owned by the Knights Templar between the 12th and 14th centuries – hence being called Temple. Visitors can tell if they are in the Middle or Inner Temple by the colour of the windows which are painted white in Middle Temple and cream in Inner Temple. The lamb and flag symbol of Middle Temple is also prevalent on many of the buildings whereas the symbol of Inner Temple is a Pegasus. The Knights of St. John rented the Temple to lawyers (today’s barristers) with full rights and privileges which means that the Temple Church is a Royal Peculiar, that is a Church responsible to the Monarch and not the Church of England.

We visited many of the historic rooms in the Temple but without doubt the historic Great Hall was the most spectacular with a large hammer beam ceiling and huge stained windows bearing the coats of arms of many previous members. The exact date of the Hall’s construction is uncertain but documents show that it existed in 1570. Unfortunately, the Great Hall suffered serious bomb damage in the Second World War but has been almost completely restored.

The Middle Temple has many places in history including being the location of the first performance (by men only) of Twelfth Night and having a number of members who were signatories to the Constitution of the United States of America. Other members of the Temple supported the losing side of the American Civil War. We were shown a wooden table, called “The Cupboard” in the Great Hall made from the hatch of the Golden Hind. In 1921 the first ladies to be called to be called to the Bar were Middle Templars & in more recent times it is where Tony & Cherie Blair met whist working as barristers in Chambers. Prince Wiliam, the Prince of Wales is currently the Royal Bencher.

After a delicious three course lunch served with wine in the Great Hall most Ward Club members visited the Temple Church for a visit to the second fascinating historic building of the day.