Picture perfectly perched in the heart of London’s legal district is the city’s most sizeable public square. Lincoln’s Inn Fields gained its title from the Inn of Court that it’s sat beside – but how Lincoln’s Inn got its name in the first place remains a bit of a mystery.
The square actually started out as two medieval open common fields (Purse Field and Cup Field) that were used as a recreational space by the gentlemen of the four surrounding Inns of Court. What started out as an open common became one of London’s very first public squares somewhat unintentionally when a property developer built a load of townhouses were built around the edge of the field in the 17th century.
Since then, Lincoln’s Inn Fields has seen it all, really. From the public beheading of Lord William Russel in 1683 to becoming the backdrop for many famous films; if fields could talk, this one would have plenty to say, that’s for sure.
Nowadays, Lincoln’s Inn Fields is where you’ll find plenty of pathways to wander down and greenery to admire. There are memorial sculptures dotted around and a Grade II listed drinking fountain that was built to commemorate Philip Twells (a Lincoln’s Inn barrister and MP).
Some pretty gorgeous Georgian architecture surrounds the square including the Sir John Soane’s Museum and several buildings belonging to the London School of Econimics. It’s a square filled with history and charm in equal measure. So much so that it’s just been named London’s loveliest public square by The Telegraph. Not bad, hey?
The loveliest public squares in London (according to The Telegraph):
- Lincoln’s Inn Fields, Holborn
- St James’s Square, West End
- Grosvenor Square, Mayfair
- Cleaver Square, Kennington
- Fitzroy Square, Fitzrovia
- York Square, Limehouse
- Walcot Square, Lambeth
- Cadogan Square, Knightsbridge
- Arnold Circus, Shoreditch
- Union Square, Battersea
📍 You’ll find Lincoln’s Inn Fields at WC2A 3TL.
🚇 The nearest station is Holborn.
