South end of the Great Hall, Lincoln's Inn, London, by Philip Hardwick (1792-1870)

End wall of the Great Hall, Lincoln's Inn, London

South end of the Great Hall, Lincoln's Inn

Philip Hardwick (1792-1870), with Philip Charles Hardwick (1822-1892)

1843

London WC2

Other Views

The Great Hall

Hardwick's initials and date (detail)

Lincoln's Inn Library (I)

Lincoln's Inn Library (II)

Photograph and text 2009 by Jacqueline Banerjee.

[You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]

On the west of Chancery Lane, near the Law Society and right behind the Royal Courts of Justice, Lincoln's Inn is one of the four London Inns of Court, along with Gray's Inn, Middle Temple and Inner Temple. Its oldest surviving building is the late-fifteenth-century Old Hall (see "History of Lincoln's Inn Fields"), so the Hardwicks' hall is known as New Hall despite its crenellations, diapering, mullions and generally picturesque appearance. Lincoln's Inn Library is a matching building in the same complex, at the northern end of the Great Hall. This was extended eastwards in 1871-2 by Sir George Gilbert Scott. As James Stevens Curl explains, "Tudor Gothic seems to have found favour for use in educational buildings, workhouses, almshouses and the like" (87n.). This is a particularly fine example of the style, arguably the most impressive in the capital. N.B., it is unusual to see the architect's initials worked into the brickwork like this [see close up].

References

Curl, James Stevens. Victorian Architecture. Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1990.

History of Lincoln's Inn Fields (Camden Council site). Viewed 28 October 2009.

Last modified 28 October 2009