This neighbourhood area corresponds to the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, or Middle Temple, one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers. The area stretches from the back of the shophouses of Fleet Street down to the banks of the River Thames by the Victoria Embankment. To the east exists Inner Temple, and to the west a few other buildings, both listed and modern, which are part of the tight-knit Temple area, but not formally part of the Temples themselves. The area is thus surrounded by historical buildings with a homogenous collegiate feel (though the Middle Temple is more closely packed than the Inner Temple). Most of the buildings in and surrounding the area are occupied by barrister chambers. Vehicular traffic is rare, and there is no through traffic. However, the area sees a lot of pedestrians walking across to get to Fleet Street or the Victoria Embankment. The courtyards and few pubs that dot the neighbourhood also make the area a popular site for meetings.

The Inns were so called as members would live communally within the school grounds, they were the ‘Inns of Court’ as their members were apprentices of the law and therefore of the Courts. As mentioned, the area west of the Middle Temple consists of many barrister chambers, and retains a similar atmosphere to the area, though without the grandeur or collegiate-style layout. This westerly area was most likely the Outer Temple; in fact, the original split of the area was between the Inner Temple (within the City of London) and the Outer Temple (outside it). The Inner Temple later split into the Inner and Middle Temple, while the Outer Temple, which lacked a great hall and carried a lesser status, was gradually forgotten.

The Middle Temple has had many famous members, as well as honorary Benchers, the latter of which includes former Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom David Cameron and Boris Johnson, who was also Mayor of London from 2008 to 2016. The Middle Temple has also had its fair share of Prime Ministers from elsewhere, including Phraya Manopakorn Nititada, the first Prime Minister of Thailand, as well as Lee Kuan Yew, the first Prime Minister of Singapore.

The Middle Temples were badly bombed during the Blitz, with the Middle Temple Library being hit, resulting in 8,000 damaged books (with only one being irrecoverably so). A parachute bomb would land near Middle Temple Hall, eviscerating the oak screen into 10,000 pieces, which was then reconstructed over 14 years.

The award-winning Middle Temple Gardens house a variety of trees and flowers, some rare. The garden dates back to the era of the Knights Templar, and is referenced in Shakespeare’s Henry VI, where Richard Plantagenet plucked a white rose and John Beaufort a red rose at the start of the Wars of the Roses. The area’s association with Shakespeare goes further than that, with the first recorded performance of the Twelfth Night being at the Middle Temple Hall.

The area is seen to be slightly aloof, and secluded from the rest of London, which has its benefits to the residents. At the same time, however, a few pubs, the many lawyers working in the area, as well as the pedestrian traffic the Inns receive does create some sense of atmosphere. The area retains a sense of community, both for those working and living there.

Whilst the Middle Temple itself is not expected to see developments anytime soon, owing to its heritage status, the area directly to the west of it has already undergone mass redevelopments. New residential units have been added along Arundel Street, with the potential to inject new life into the area.