Lincoln's Inn Fields
London WC2

Lincoln's Inn Fields, the largest square in London, was once a place of public execution. 

During the Tudor and Stuart periods many religious martyrs, and those suspected of treachery to the Crown, met their end here. 

In the 1640s the developer William Newton wanted to build on this open space, but students of Lincoln's Inn and other residents made him promise that the land at the centre would remain a public park for ever. 

Today the expanse of Lincoln's Inn Fields is the focal point of Holborn. 

On its north side is the Sir John Soane's Museum and to the east are the buildings of Lincoln's Inn itself. To the south of the square are the fascinating museums of the Royal College of Surgeons.  The shady square provides a quiet and pleasant place for many lawyers who work in the locality. 

It also has public tennis courts and a bandstand.