488 (2 votes, average 5.00 out of 5) Middle Temple (and the neighbouring Inner Temple) is one of the few remaining 'liberties', an old name for a geographic division. It's a self-governing 'enclave'  operating outside the City of London Corporation which governs the rest of the City.
Middle Temple Hall is probably the finest example of an Elizabethan Hall in the United Kingdom. 101 feet long and 41 feet wide, it's spanned by an impressive double hammer beam roof. Begun in 1562 it has remained virtually unaltered to the present day, standing in a courtyard at the heart of the peaceful Middle Temple Inn, unaffected by the metropolis that has grown up outside. To see a 360 degree photo of the Middle Temple Hall, click the link.
Middle Temple Hall took 11 years to construct and was completed in 1573 using the finest materials and artisan builders, that 16th century money could buy. A strong sense of rivalry existed within the Inns of Court, so members of the Middle Temple would have had to pay sizeable premiums in order to fund the build, but there is no record of any objection. 'Elevating status' was a worthy form of expenditure, as was attracting patronage. Queen Elizabeth became both a benefactor and guest of the Middle Temple, so the extensive outlay bore fruit.
The oil paintings above the Bench Table include portraits of Queen Elizabeth I, who dined in the Hall. High Table consists of three 29 foot planks of a single oak, reputedly a gift from Elizabeth I to the Middle Temple. Sourced from her own Windsor Forest and floated down the Thames. The Benchers of the Inn still dine at it, as they did in August 1586 when Francis Drake, just back from a successful expedition against the Spanish Indies was rapturously congratulated by Benchers and members. The hatch cover of his ship the Golden Hinde was later used to make the present ‘cupboard’, a table which stands below the Bench table. |
The Temple of Mithras, Walbrook is a Roman temple whose ruins were discovered in Walbrook, a street in the City of London, during rebuilding work in 1954. It is perhaps the most famous of all twentieth-century Roman discoveries in the City of London.
The site was excavated by W. F. Grimes, director of the Museum of London in 1954. The temple, initially hoped to have been an early Christian church, was built in the mid-3rd century and dedicated to Mithras or perhaps jointly to several deities popular among Roman soldiers. Then it was rededicated, probably to Bacchus, in the early fourth century.
Found within the temple, where they had been carefully buried at the time of its rededication, were finely-detailed third-century white marble likenesses of Minerva, Mercury the guide of the souls of the dead, and the syncretic gods Mithras and Serapis, imported from Italy. There were several coarser locally-made clay figurines of Venus, combing her hair. The artefacts recovered were put on display in the Museum of London. 90 (1 vote, average 3.00 out of 5) Leadenhall Market is a covered market in the City of London, located in Gracechurch Street.
The market dates back to the fourteenth century. It is open from Monday to Friday, and sells fresh food;  among the vendors there are cheesemongers, butchers and florists. Originally a meat, game and poultry market, it stands on what was the centre of Roman London.
The ornate roof structure, painted green, maroon and cream, and cobbled floors of the current building, designed in 1881 by Sir Horace Jones (who was also the architect of Billingsgate and Smithfield Markets), make the building a tourist attraction.
It was used to represent the area of London near The Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley in the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
It's also a popular watering hole, for local City workers. | St Paul's Cathedral is the Anglican cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and the seat of the Bishop of London.  The present building dates from the 17th century and is generally agreed to be London's fifth St Paul's Cathedral, although the number is higher if every major medieval reconstruction is counted as a new cathedral. The cathedral sits on the highest point of the City of London, which originated as a Roman trading post situated on the River Thames. The cathedral is one of London's most popular and visited sights.
The cathedral is built of Portland stone in a late Renaissance style. Its impressive dome was inspired by St Peter's Basilica in Rome, and rises 365 feet to the cross at its summit, making it a persistent London landmark in paintings and engravings from the last 300 years.  Wren was able to create such a large dome, by actuallly building three domes: the tall outer dome is non-structural but impressive to view, the lower inner dome provides an artistically balanced interior, and between the two is a structural cone that supports the apex structure and the outer dome. An enormous chain circles this middle dome and prevents the dome from warping under the pressure and weight.
Wren was said to have been hauled up to the rafters in a basket during the building of its later stages to inspect progress. The Central Criminal Court in the United Kingdom, commonly known as the Old Bailey, is a court building in central London,  one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court. The Crown Court deals with major criminal cases from Greater London and, in exceptional cases, from other parts of Britain. It stands on the site of the medieval Newgate Gaol, on Old Bailey, a road which follows the line of the City of London's fortified wall (or bailey), and gives the court its popular name. It lies between Holborn Circus and St Paul's Cathedral.
The present building dates from 1902, but it was officially opened on 27 February 1907. It was designed by E.W. Mountford and built on the site of the infamous Newgate Prison, which was demolished to allow the court buildings to be constructed. Above the main entrance is inscribed the admonition, "Defend the Children of the Poor & Punish the Wrongdoer". King Edward VII personally opened the courthouse.
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London Buildings 
