Visit to the Royal Courts of Justice

At the invitation of Lord Justice Jackson members of the Company and their guests visited the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand.

We were led on a fascinating tour by Malcolm Harding who is Clerk to Lord Justice Mummery and who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Court building and its history. We were told how large numbers of houses had to be demolished to provide the site for the building and how, surprise, surprise, it resulted in a cost overrun. We were shown the only damage to the building as a result of bombing in the Second World War which is a slight displacement of  one column still evident to this day. Another fascinating fact came out of a dispute with the stone masons and the importation of a large number of replacements from Germany who, until they were stopped, spent their free time creating illicit carvings of leaves and flowers on two of what were intended by the Architect to be plain columns. The tour included the "Painted Room", the "Bear Garden" and the permanent exhibition of Judges' robes which is open to the public at any time. Film credits for the building include "Genevieve" and the recent TV production "Day of the Triffids". 

At tea Lord Justice Jackson kindly popped in and answered questions on his role as a Lord Justice of Appeal. On the way out we walked along the Judges' corridor and were privileged to see one of the Courts from the elevation of the Bench.

After tea we were conducted on a tour of the Inns of Court, Lincoln's Inn and the Middle and Inner Temples by John Garrod, an excellent Blue Guide, who showed us many of the hidden gems of the Inns including a spectacular brick built gardener's hut in Lincoln's Inn and, albeit not a part of the any Inn, London's very own "Clochmerle pissoir" A very enjoyable event was rounded off with supper at Davy's Wine Bar.