Welcome to the prayerful and beautiful Temple Church, steeped in the history of Christendom, this country and the whole Common Law World. 1162: the Round Church was built to be London’s Jerusalem. 1214–19: Magna Carta was negotiated in the Temple, and its greatest hero was buried in the Church. 1584, 1776, 1787: from Raleigh’s expeditions through the colonial constitutions to the American Declaration of Independence and Constitution, the Temple was the birthplace of American Law. And to this day the Church serves the legal colleges Inner and Middle Temple, London’s residents, visiting jurists and travellers from all over the world with some of the most uplifting services, music and discussions in London.
How can so ancient a building be equipped to serve the modern age in prayer and praise and engagement with the socio-legal challenges facing Britain and the wider world? Through Restoration & Renewal: Equipping the Temple Church for the next 100 Years, a major programme of refurbishment and repair, energised and supported by The Friends of the Temple Church.
Robin Griffith-Jones Master of the Temple
Mark Hatcher Reader of the Temple