The Temple Church

Temple Church was founded in the 12th Century by the Knights Templar, a Christain military order from the Middle Ages. The area originally included a military compound and training ground for the knights.

The church has a rare circular nave, a Norman door and 10 effigies of knights which lie in the old round church. Temple Church garden is mentioned in Shakespeare's play Henry VI and in Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. Temple Church was restored by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London.

For a week in January 1215, King John was confronted by barons at Temple Church who demanded a charter. The subsequent document, called Magna Carta, limited the king's powers by law and protected the baron's rights, paving the way for the establishment of constitutional law.

The Temple Church has excellent accoustics and has a thriving programme of choral music.