Take a tour of the historic Lincoln’s Inn
Sitting on the edge of the City of London is a large walled estate packed full of history and impressively grand buildings — and it offers tours.
This is Lincoln’s Inn, named after their original home in the City which was leased from the Earl of Lincoln. However, for reasons which are a bit unclear, King Henry III banned schools for lawyers in the City in 1234, and all the law schools moved to the borders.
Lincoln’s Inn moved into a former bishop’s palace and has been there ever since, slowly expanding its site, but it still retains the air of a refined enclave within the modern city, fenced off and hidden away, but actually freely open to visit if you want.
Rather than wandering around the outside of the buildings, they also offer guided tours that take you inside the richly decorated buildings. The tours include the old chapel, the main grounds, and the library and huge dining hall. Along the way, the tour guides will tell you about the history of the legal inns, their traditions, and how a Tudor-looking building came to dominate the site.
The tours of Lincoln’s Inn cost £15 per person, and usually take place on a Tuesday morning at 11am – although they have the occasional Wednesay or Thursday tour as well.
You can book a ticket from here.
The main entrance to the Lincoln’s Inn estate is on the southeastern corner of Lincoln’s Inn Fields, a short walk from Holborn tube station.
The Huntarian museum at Lincoln’s Inn Fields is also worth visiting while you’re in the area. It is free to visit.
(Before anyone suggests visiting, the Sir John Soane museum is closed on Tuesdays)
I used to work at Lincolns Inn on the gardens for over 11 years.
It is a real life historical working museum type of environment especially in the dark.
Well worth visiting even if like myself you have had the privilege of working there.
”(Before anyone suggests visiting, the Sir John Soane museum is closed on Tuesdays)”
But in March and April, the tours of Lincolns Inn switch to other days, notably Thursdays when the Soane Museum is open.
I have an interest in the history of the Olympics and used to be a member of the International Society of Olympic Historians. On 25 July 2012, just before London 2012 started, I attended the AGM of the society at Lincolns Inn, where we were given lunch in that very dining hall. I can’t remember the gentleman’s name but it had been organised with the help of a member of Lincolns Inn who had been something like Chief Executive of the Premier League. He explained that the mural in your picture shows many lawmakers of history and that there was controversy because it included Mohammad.