Temple Church

Temple Church tickets: which one to buy

The Temple Church stands in the Temple, the historic enclave of lawyers between Fleet Street and the River Thames in the City of London, England, and a ticket is required for visitors, while services and some organ recitals are free. It was built by the Knights Templar, and it is shared today by two of London's Inns of Court, the Inner Temple and the Middle Temple, which train and house barristers. The church is reached through the gateways from Fleet Street or the Embankment, and the nearest stations are Temple and Blackfriars.

Visitors combine it with the Inns of Court's gardens and courtyards, the Royal Courts of Justice, Fleet Street and its old pubs, Somerset House and St Paul's Cathedral. The church became internationally famous through the novel The Da Vinci Code, and many visitors come because of it. Opening times are limited and change often, because the church is used for services, weddings and events, so check the timetable before travelling. The Temple Church choir is renowned, and its Sunday services and concerts are worth attending. The quiet lanes of the Temple feel far removed from the busy streets outside.

Visiting Temple Church: what to see

The Knights Templar, the military order founded to protect pilgrims to Jerusalem, built the church as their English headquarters, and the Round Church was consecrated in 1185 by Heraclius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, reportedly in the presence of King Henry II. Its circular nave was modelled on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, and its columns of Purbeck marble and pointed arches mark the transition from Romanesque to Gothic. The rectangular chancel was added and consecrated in 1240, a beautiful early Gothic hall.

The Round Church holds stone effigies of medieval knights, lying on the floor, including one associated with William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, who served several kings and acted as a mediator in the events around Magna Carta in 1215. After the Templar order was suppressed in the early fourteenth century, the church passed to the Knights Hospitaller, who leased the Temple to lawyers, and the Inns of Court have held it since. The church was restored by Wren after the Great Fire, although it was not burned, and it was badly damaged by German bombing in 1941, when its roof burned and the effigies were damaged; it was restored after the war. Carved grotesque heads decorate the arcade of the Round Church.

Temple Church opening hours and the best time to go

The church is open to visitors on selected weekdays, usually from late morning to afternoon, and it is closed at other times for services and events. The choir sings at Sunday morning services, except in August, and organ recitals are held on certain weekdays. The Temple Music Foundation organises concerts through the year. The City is quiet at weekends. Summer is pleasant for walking in the Temple's gardens, which open to the public at certain times. Allow about forty-five minutes for the church.