The earliest known reference to Middle Temple occurs in the Year Book 12 Richard II (1388), which records the appointment of ‘Willelmus Hankforde medii templi’ as a Serjeant at Law. The same record also refers to Serjeants appointed from Gray's Inn and Inner Temple.
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The Hall Committee represents the barrister members of the Inn. It is the members’ advocate.
The Inn should serve its members at all stages of their careers and should play an important role in their professional and social lives. The route through which you can channel your views to the Inn is the Hall Committee. Benchers and student members are well served by their own representatives.
Winter is a really busy time for the Garden Team. After completing the bulb planting Kate and Alex are busy with the herbaceous tidy up and deciduous pruning. There are 74 rose plants in the garden. Only one, Rosa banksiae lutea does not need any attention at this time. The wall climbers and those over arches and obelisks are untied, pruned and re-trained – Other major pruning tasks include 2 wisterias which will be carried out in late January or February and various clematis. It’s the time of year for transplanting shrubs, planting new ones, mulching, ordering seeds as well as arranging for machinery to undergo annual maintenance which is completed before mowing re-starts in early February. This season will also see a major overhaul of the irrigation system. Look out for daffodils, snowdrops (first ones appeared in November), and tulips. There are plenty of other more unusual bulbs such as Fritillaria raddeana (late February) as well as Hellebores and cyclamen. The small area outside Blackstones Chambers will see more unusual bulbs flowering ahead of wild flowers which will follow in the summer months. In Fountain Court there is a lovely display of Camellias for 3 months. A Combination of the garden’s micro-climate due to its inner-city location, changing temperatures and selection of diverse varieties will ensure plenty of colour over a long season.
Access
There is a wheelchair ramp up to the building entrance and a lift to all floors. Entrance doors are automated. There are wheelchair-accessible toilets on the ground and fourth floors.
There is a magnifier and headphones available at the Enquiry Desk. All of the computer monitors are touch-screen. There is a portable induction loop at the Enquiry Desk. Staff can request PDFs of books held by the Library from the publishers upon application.
Meetings of the Middle Temple Historical Society are open to all members, staff, friends of the Inn and their guests who are welcome to attend a meeting before becoming members. We meet four times a year, usually in the Bench apartments for drinks at 6.30pm followed by an informal buffet supper and a talk on an historical topic, usually with a legal theme. Meetings finish at 9.15pm.
While the lives and accomplishments of members of the Temple community are the subject of much research, the fate of their earthly remains receives much less attention. This edition explores the subject of burial at the Temple from the early medieval period to the mid nineteenth century.
In 2023 the music nights will be supported by a generous donation from the late Master Simon Kverndal. Master Kverndal was a stalwart supporter of the Inn and a lover of music, amongst other things. A Memorial Concert in June 2022 for Simon raised a significant sum which is being used to support all of the artists this year.
The 2023 theme will be “New and Emerging Talent”. Covid has badly affected the music industry and live performances basically ceased for two years. Those graduating from music colleges and conservatoires found their livelihoods and opportunities for performance seriously affected.
WE WELCOME MASTER ROBERT-JAN TEMMINK KC AS MASTER OF MUSIC
Master Robert-Jan Temmink KC practices in Commercial and Chancery Law from Quadrant Chambers and succeeds Master Stanley Burnton who retired last year.
Having been a choral scholar in Cambridge, Master Temmink has performed with some of the finest choirs, ensembles and orchestras in the UK and abroad and, for twenty years until his singing retirement in 2017, was one of the professional singers comprising the choir of the Temple Church.
PERFORMERS & PERFORMANCES IN 2023
The pattern of music nights in 2023 will be similar to those in previous years, but each year in Master Temmink’s tenure will have a broad theme.
Our first music night of the season will take place on 4 April and will be performed by the Ukranian pianist, Vitaly Pisarenko. He will play piano works around a theme of “Dances” including works by Liszt and Schumann. Vitaly was the first prize winner of the Liszt piano competition in Utrecht and third prize winner of the Leeds International piano competition. He has recently graduated from the Royal College of Music.
On 23 May we welcome the mezzo-soprano Lila Chrisp, a recent graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music and winner of the Garsington Opera Young Artist programme in 2022 and a previous AESS Courtney Kenny prize winner for English Song and Poetry. She is currently undertaking two seasons with the Opera Studio of Theatre in Frieburg. Lila Chrisp is accompanied by Hamish Brown, a prize winner in the Copenhagen Lied-Duo competition, Kathleen Ferrier Awards, Wigmore Hall Song Competition, the Mozart Singing Competition and the Somerset Song Prize. They will perform works by Schubert, Wolf, Korngold and Schoenberg under a programme called “Vienna Passions”.
The remaining two Music Nights will take place on 11 July and 20 November. Artists and repertoire will be announced later this year.
Members – Benchers, Hall and Students – may attend Music Nights with guests. Dinner for members is counted as an ordinary dining night.
Early booking is always advised as tickets are limited.
There are certain rules and customs that members are expected to observe when attending formal events at the Inn.
Open House London Weekend "Revealing Magna Carta"
19-20 September 2015
This major event, organised jointly by the Inner and Middle Temple, will be a highlight of our 2015
programme of events to mark the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta by King John in 1215; for further details click here.
Please refer to the specific application form that you are completing (e.g. Admission, Call) for details of which of the following documents you are required to provide.
PERSONAL/PROFESSIONAL DETAILS
We require a certified copy (following the guidance below) of the following: