The Old Hall, Lincoln's Inn

Lincoln's Inn gate

 By Hannah Swart

The Courtroom

The Old Hall was one of the first buildings of Lincoln’s Inn, and designed by architect Philip Hardwick. During the 1800s, the Old Hall was used for Chancery Court proceedings. Most famously, many crucial events of Dicken’s novel, Bleak House, occur in Lincoln’s Inn.  The entire Inn is encompassed by a tall brick wall, first built in 1592.  The entrance to Lincoln’s Inn is marked by a regal arched gate.  Many of the buildings are brick, such as the turreted building in the photograph. 

Inside the Old Hall, there are large stained glass windows along the walls, letting the light shift through the colored panes. The ceilings are very tall, giving the room a lofty atmosphere.  In Victorian times, the room was set up as a courtroom.  The Chancellor would have sat at the front of the room on his special chair, overlooking the room full of jurors, lawyers, witnesses, and defendants.