Lady’s Secret Guide to Temple, London

London has an amazing capacity for secrets. There are places hidden behind high streets and on side streets, easily overlooked by those that don’t know to seek them out. One in particular is Temple, London. This part of the city center is tucked away behind the historic facades on Fleet Street. Steeped in history and legend, it’s worth discovering.

Temple, London

Temple centers around Temple Church, the 12th-century place of worship of the Knights Templar (you might remember it from The Da Vinci Code).

The knights once had dominion over this part of London, setting up two halls around the church before their organization’s dissolution in the 14th century.

Temple changed hands a number of times over the ensuing centuries, and today this part of London is famous for its legal connections.

The Inner Temple and Middle Temple are two of the four Inns of Court, and the area is brimming with barristers’ chambers, solicitors’ offices, and legal institutions.

Visiting Temple, London

Entering Temple via an unassuming passageway on Fleet Street in the City of London is like stepping into a tent from a Harry Potter novel.

What looks like a narrow alley from the outside opens out into an enormous expanse filled with heritage buildings preserved in time.

There are colonnaded walkways and cobblestone streets, old brick buildings with hand-painted lettering, and secluded courtyards full of fountains. There are suits bustling back and forth and barristers sporting powdered wigs.

It all feels Dickensian (which might be because Dickens wrote about Temple a lot).

One gentleman spots my camera and stops to point out office buildings designed by Sir Christopher Wren and other notable architects of old.

He tells me that every building in the row we’re admiring was built in a different century, and I can see the layers in their evolving architectural styles.

Gardens in Temple, London

But the buildings aren’t the only attraction in Temple. The gardens are equally pleasing to the eye. Temple runs along the Thames, and the southern part of the area is full of lush lawns and manicured flower beds.

The river used to reach here, but when the Victoria Embankment contained it, Temple gained ground for gardens.

The downward slope of the land reveals where the tide once came, but it’s the only sign in an area that’s now filled with trees and ornamental urns bursting with flowers.

I continue my explorations through the warren of interconnected courtyards, discovering contemporary sculpture in one and a little garden with vine arches in another.

It’s quiet here and feels a million miles from the bustle of the City.

Soon my visit to Temple is over and I find myself back in the passageway to Fleet Street. I emerge into the historic heart of London, letting the sounds of cars and construction fill the void in my ears.

It’s odd to be back in the real world after stepping back in time, but that’s what I love about London. I can’t wait to see what secret the city reveals to me next.

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