Middle Temple Library holds three exhibitions a year to highlight special collections held by the Inn. Below you can find the latest exhibition and also view previous exhibitions online.
History of the Library Exhibition
‘There has always been a Library at Middle Temple..’
The Inns of Court Libraries have enjoyed a long history. The current exhibition traces Middle Temple Library from its Tudor conception to its modern day setting, using items from both the Library’s rare book collection and various items from the Archive.
The very first mention of a library existing at Middle Temple can be found in an anonymous account recorded in a Tudor manuscript and reprinted in Origines Juridiciales, where it comments on all the books being stolen from the Library, leaving it empty. The Library was officially re-founded by Robert Ashley (1565-1641) when he bequeathed his collection of 6,000 books to the Inn. His Chambers were located close to Temple Church – the books were moved to Lower Parliament Chamber in 1646, under lock and key. The books were moved to a purpose-built library in 1650, located in Garden Building, close to the Hall. The books remained here for almost 200 years.
By the early nineteenth century, No. 2 Garden Court had become old and dilapidated, having been built in 1625 and apparently not being well kept. In 1824, a new purpose-built Library was gratefully constructed by architect Henry Hakewill. Located in today’s Parliament Chamber, the Library was almost immediately too small to house all the books in the growing collection. A gallery was built as a temporary measure in 1854, but a more permanent solution was needed.
In 1857, it was finally decided that a new building was required to encompass all the Librarys’ collections. The site was decided with the purchase of new land, known as Essex Wharf and premises (approximately where the Queen Elizabeth building stands today). The Library suffered immense damage during the Second World War. In 1941 a bomb fell that caused the Library roof to cave in and rendered the building no longer safe to use. The Gothic Library was ultimately demolished.
Soon after the war, a temporary Library was built on the site where Nos. 2 and 3 Brick Court once stood. It was opened 21st November 1946 by the Queen Mother and housed around 50,000 books. The temporary Library was demolished in 1958 to make way for the car park. The new Library, designed by Edward Maufe who also designed Gray’s Inn Library, was opened once again by the Queen Mother in 1958.
In this exhibition, you will find Robert Ashley’s will, various donations that helped to establish the collection and catalogues that show how the collection was organised. This exhibition also traces the Library’s locations over the years by displaying photos, quotes, petitions and letters.
Previous Exhibitions
This exhibition was curated in collaboration with Art Responders, a community arts organisation that develops free public exhibitions on social justice and human rights themes. The curators were Daryl Stenvoll-Wells, the founding director of Art Responders, and Lauren Cummings, Assistant Librarian at Middle Temple Library... View online
2025 marks eighty years since the end of the Second World War. Using material from the Inn’s Archive and Library collections, this exhibition explores the wartime experience of the Middle Temple and its members... View online
This exhibition celebrates Middle Temple Library's significant collection of sixteenth and seventeenth century books published in Spain, and includes some items from the Inn's Archive on the War of the Spanish Succession of 1701 - 1714... View online
It was common for a learned gentleman to amass a private library consisting of thousands of volumes in the sixteeth and seventeenth centuries. This exhibition displays some of Middle Temple Library's rare books, including those donated from such private collections, visualising what a gentleman's bookshelf looked like in these earlier centuries... View online
This exhibition explores a range of pre-1700 books from the Library, and items from the Inn’s Archive, highlighting topics such as recreation, literary culture at the Inns, religion and preaching, learning the law and verbal skills, travel and exploration endeavours... View Online.
An exhibition exploring how this important document has evolved over the centuries to arrive at its current form. From Plea Rolls to Year Books, manuscripts to nominates, to digitisation and beyond...View online
Last year, the Inn celebrated 450 years since the completion of Middle Temple Hall. This exhibition told the story of the Hall, from its construction in the reign of Elizabeth I to the present day, via renovations and reinventions, blazes and bombing raids.
An exhibition exploring astronomical manuscripts from the Medieval and Renaissance periods, European translations of the Quran, verses from the Quran relating to astronomy and Renaissance books...View online
An exhibition exploring the impact of epidemics on public health law. From plagues to the present, this display looks at the way public officials manage the spread of disease, as they try to understand the causes of illness...View online
Plants provide the foundation for nearly all life on earth. The chloroplasts in green plants provide some 70% of our breathable oxygen and sit at the centre of countless ecosystems. By the same token, plants are essential to human life and...View online
The story of policing in London is a mutable and ever-changing one. The earliest recorded effort to establish a formal system of policing can be traced back to the reign of King Edward I in his statute of 1285...View online
2019 marked the 100th anniversary of the passing of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act of 1919. The passing of this Act allowed women to become practising solicitors and barristers in an official capacity...View online