Legal London: Gray's Inn to Fleet Street: a walk in London

The barristers' London: the gardens and courts of the Inns of Court, the Royal Courts of Justice, the Templars' round church, then the old newspaper street's chop-house pub, Johnson's house and the journalists' church. No overlap with the St Paul's-Tower City walk.

Best time: Weekday late morning into lunch, when the Inns and Fleet Street are working (gates and opening hours of the Inns not verified)

The route, stop by stop

1
Gray's Inn (the Walks)
One of the four Inns of Court, the barristers' societies; law clerks have been on this site since at least 1370. Charles Lamb called its gardens, the Walks, 'the best gardens of any of the Inns of Court'. 15 min.
2
Sir John Soane's Museum
The big square of Lincoln's Inn Fields, with Sir John Soane's house-museum on its north side at no. 13. 30 min.
The architect's house left as he arranged it in 1837: Hogarth's Rake's Progress on fold-out panels and the sarcophagus of Seti I in the basement.
3
Lincoln's Inn
The Inn's chapel stands on an open, fan-vaulted undercroft that has served as crypt, meeting place and place of recreation. 15 min.
4
Royal Courts of Justice
The Gothic Revival law courts on the Strand, opened in 1882. 10 min outside.
5
Temple Church
Round church built by the Knights Templar and consecrated on 10 February 1185, with 13th- and 14th-century stone effigies; owned jointly by Inner and Middle Temple. 20 min.
Built by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters and consecrated in 1185. It is famous for its round nave and its 13th- and 14th-century stone effigies.
6
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese (Wine Office Court, Fleet Street)
Grade II pub rebuilt just after the Great Fire of 1666, a pub on the site since 1538; dark, windowless rooms once used by Dickens, Chesterton and Twain. 20 min.
7
Dr Johnson's House
Grade I house of about 1700 where Samuel Johnson lived 1748-1759, the only one of his 18 City homes to survive, in an alley-maze north of Fleet Street. 30 min.
Samuel Johnson lived and worked in this house from 1748 to 1759 and compiled his Dictionary of the English Language here. Built around 1700, it is a rare survivor of its era in…
8
St Bride's Church
Wren's 1672 church, gutted in the Blitz and rebuilt in the 1950s; the journalists' church of Fleet Street. 15 min.

Walking directions

Legal London: Gray's Inn to Fleet Street

The route, stop by stop

More walks in London