Legal London's finery

London - the capital of Common Law, the law of England and Wales, the legal system underpinning the ones used many English-speaking countries around the world. London and law - one associates buildings such as the Old Bailey - the Central Criminal Court - and the Law Courts (officially the Royal Courts of Justice, below).

Despite the fact that the practice of law in London has an extremely long history, both the Old Bailey and the Law Courts are relatively new buildings. The neo-gothic Law Courts date back to 1880, and the Old Bailey is an Edwardian edifice, completed in 1902, the year after the death of Queen Victoria.

Neo-Gothic ages well. In my 1960s childhood, I could have imagined these buildings being around at the time of the Court of King Arthur, Merrie England and Henry VIII. Looking along The Strand, right at the edge of the City of London, the turrets and towers are entirely medieval in appearance. To the right (partially obscured by scaffolding) - Temple Bar, marking the entrance to the City.

Turn off the Strand, however, enter the Middle and Inner Temple - two of London's four Inns of Court (the other two being Lincoln's Inns and Gray's Inn). All barristers practising law in England and Wales must have their chambers (offices) in the one of these four Inns of Court.

Hang on a second - Inns of Court - karczmy sądu? Inn = karczma, zajazd, oberża, court = sąd, dwór, dziedziniec? Justice in medieval England was meted out in inns? Not quite. Henry III prohibited the practice of law within the boundaries of the City of London, and so the places where lawyers lived, studied and conducted their professions were located just to the west of the City's boundaries. From 1320 the Inner and Middle Temples (originally set up by the Knights Templar - Templariusze, taken from them by the crown and turn to use as a centre for legal activities), joined later by Lincoln's Inn (1427) and Gray's Inn (1569). This is where London's legal district was - and remains.

Below: looking down towards Middle Temple Gate. Beyond the gate, the Embankment and the Thames.

Below: chambers in the Inner Temple. Solicitors are to be found in every high street across the land, but barristers - only in the four Inns of Court, in a tiny area of London bordered by Theobalds Road to the north, Shoe Street to the east, Embankment to the south and Kingsway to the west. And clustered around them, the London offices of the biggest law firms.

Below: the Inner Temple has beautifully-kept gardens, walled off from the casual passer-by trying to take a short cut or the tourist throng. You need to know London well to know how to get in here! Across to the Thames to the right - One Blackfriars ('The Belly'). Weather - beautiful.

Left: some of the newer, Victorian, architecture of the Inner Temple. Traditionally, the Inner Temple was where lawyers resided, the Middle Temple was where they practised. Today, they are exclusively business premises, the chambers are no longer residential.

The Temple itself, built by the Knights Templar, seized by the Crown after their downfall, is at the heart of this complex. Well worth a visit.

Right: on to the Middle Temple, further west. A town within a town, a refuge from the bustling streets that surround it. But unlike Mayfair, there are lights on in the windows and plenty of signs of activity within. And here is a double pillar-box, once separating mail for London from that destined for the rest of the country; today 'stamped' and 'metered' mail are posted separately.

The Outer Temple? Was there one? It's shrouded in legend, you know. The Knights Templars... mysteries... historical controversies... Over this threshold one crosses into a covered passage that leads into the Middle Temple.

The Inner and Middle Temples are worth a visit. There's limited access, you need to have a local guide or do some research, but you can generally wander around without restriction during the working day.

This time last year:
Winter walk through the Las Kabacki

This time three years ago:

1967: The Year The World Started Turning To Colour

This time six years ago:
Rain on a freezing day (-7C)

This time seven years ago:
Jeziorki in the snow

This time nine years ago:
Winter's slight return

This time ten years ago:
Unacceptable

This time 11 years ago:
Pieniny in winter

This time 12 years ago:
Wetlands in a wet winter