A Fetter Lane Itinerary

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1 1. St Dunstan’s in the West There has been a church on this site since at least the 11th Century, though the current structure dates from 1831. Please note the clock, the first in London to have a minute hand, where every 15 minutes one can observe the two giants striking the bells. The church is also home to the Romanian Orthodox Church, and one can attend Orthodox services on Friday evenings and weekends.

2. Clifford’s Inn Just off Fleet Street, down Clifford’s Inn Passage once stood Clifford’s Inn. This was one of the Inns of Chancery, the legal training schools for students, some of whom went on to be called to the Bar at the Inns of Court. Clifford’s Inn had been in existence since at least the 14th century.

After a period of decline, common to all the Inns of Chancery, the Inn was eventually sold in 1904, and demolished in 1934. The Gatehouse, which you can see at the end of Clifford’s Inn Passage, is the only remnant of the older structure.

3. Crane Court Another of the small courts that spring off Fleet Street. In 1710, under the auspices of Sir Isaac Newton, the Royal Society moved to the northern end of this courtyard. It was to stay until 1782. The buildings no longer exist, but the approximate position is just visible from the back window of the temporary Library.

4. Fleur-de-Lys Court Lying beneath 10 Fetter Lane and the temporary Library, there was once Fleur-de-Lys Court, which disappeared in the 19th century upon the widening of Fetter Lane.

In 1767, as recorded in the Old Bailey archives online, one Elizabeth Brownrigg, resident of this court, was tried and convicted of imprisoning and murdering her maid. She was sentenced to death, “her body to be dissected and anatomized.”

5. Maughan Library Now the home to the library of Kings College. This was once the site of the Master of the Rolls’ residence and Chapel. The current building was built in the mid-19th Century to house the Public Record Office, later the National Archives. When the National Archives moved to Kew, King’s College took over the building

The Weston room, the Library’s special collections exhibition space, is home to surviving parts of the original Rolls Chapel.

6. The Rolls Building Opened in 2011 by the Queen.

Kenneth Clarke announced: “This great initiative is part of the Plan for Growth published in the summer by the Ministry of Justice and UK Trade and Investment, setting out how the country’s commercial arbitration, mediation and court services will be promoted to a global audience.”

The Guardian reported: “A £300m state-of-the-art law court complex will open in the next few weeks as the government tries to make the UK the world's pre-eminent destination for swiftly resolving international high-value legal disputes – and making a lot of money in the process.”

Whether it has lived up to expectations, I will leave this in your qualified hands.

7. Moravian Chapel – Fetter Lane Society The Fetter Lane Society and the Moravian Church played an important role in the development of reformed churches in England, and in the 17th century was one of only a handful of places where non-Church of England worship was permitted.

The original chapel was destroyed in World War II, and the only remaining indication of the former chapel is the memorial plaque on the side of number 30 Fetter Lane. 8. Dr Johnson’s House and Hodge the Cat In Gough Square one can visit the charming house of Dr Johnson, notable author of A Dictionary of the English Language, first published in 1755.

This square also hosts a statue of his famed cat, Hodge, sitting on a copy of the dictionary, along with his favourite food, oysters. This is one of London’s talking statues; use the QR code on the statute to listen to Hodge’s thoughts.

In Dr Johnson’s own words “He is a very fine cat, a very fine cat indeed.”

9. Barnard’s Inn Bookending Fetter Lane on the northern end is the site of another Inn of Chancery, Barnard’s Inn. Fortunately, unlike Clifford’s Inn, Barnards Inn was not demolished, and the hall, dating from the 14th century largely remains.

Since 1991 Gresham College has been the occupant. The college provides regular free lectures on a variety of subjects in the arts, law, religion and sciences.

10. Hanging of Nathaniel Tomkins On the 5th July 1643 Nathaniel Tomkins, a former MP for Carlisle and for Christchurch, was hanged outside his home on the corner of Fetter Lane and High Holborn. He was convicted of being a part of “Waller’s Plot”, a plot to reinstate Royal power in the City of London. Tomkins attributed his involvement to “affection to a brother-in-law (Edmund Waller), and affection and gratitude to the king, whose bread I have eaten now above 22 years.”

Front page map reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland.

© The Inner Temple Library 2020