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Lincoln's Inn is one of London's
four Inns of Court, the other three are Gray's
Inn, the Inner
Temple and the Middle Temple.
The four Inns, or Honourable
Societies of Barristers, fulfill the same functions, but has
separate traditions. According to ancient custom anyone
training to be a barrister in Britain must join one of the
Inns of Court and dine there 24 times, as well as passing
their examinations, before being officially qualified.
The quiet alleys and open spaces
of the Inns of Court are a haven from the noisy traffic and
fumes of London, like stepping back in time. Here, lawyers,
dressed in gowns and wigs, pass against the backdrop of medieval
buildings and well-manicured lawns.
Lincoln's Inn, next to one of
London's finest residential squares, is the most beautiful
and least altered of the Inns. Its buildings date from
the late-15th century.
Above the arch of the Chancery
Lane gatehouse is the coat of arms of Henry VIII and heavy
oak door dates from the same period. Ben Jonson, a contemporary
of Shakespeare, is thought to have laid some of the bricks
of Lincoln's Inn during the reign of Elizabeth I.
Lincoln's Inn's lawns were used
for executions during the Reformation.
The Gothic chapel dates from
the early-17th century, and it was not until 1839 that women
were allowed to be buried here, when the grieving Lord Brougham
petitioned to have the rule altered so that his daughter could
be interred in the chapel.
Famous alumni of Lincoln's Inn
include Oliver Cromwell, John Donne, the 17th century poet
and William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania.
When the Court of Chancery sat
here in Old Hall from 1835 - 58, one of the best-known judges
was Sir John Taylor Coleridge.
At Lincoln's Inn it is still
possible to remember scenes from 'Bleak House', Dickens' savage
attack on the legal system, as hardly anything has changed.
Admission free
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