The Worshipful Company of Tax Advisers

WCoTA Visit to the Middle Temple – 4 October 2024

The events committee organised a tour and lunch at the Middle Temple for 4 October 2024. Although regrettably we have all had a poor summer weatherwise. The day was a perfect. It was warm and the sun shone all day. In the morning, we had a tour of the Middle Temple estate. A beautiful and unique place away from the bustle of London. The tour guide, who by coincidence was a retired accountant, showed us and explained the long history and architecture of the area. The land was owned by the Knights Templars and at their dissolution given to the legal profession as a base in London. We saw the much-filmed Temple Church. The guide explained how the Middle Temple prepared for the Second World War by placing the unreplaceable stained-glass windows and their art treasures into storage in Wales. She demonstrated the extent of the bombing damage to the estate and its rapid reconstruction post war replicating the original buildings. An amusing fact is that you can tell whether a building is in the Middle Temple or the Inner Temple, a sister Inn of Court with which it shares the estate, by two details; the Middle Temple buildings have a Lamb and Flag symbol and white window frames while the Inner Temple has a Pegasus badge and cream windows. Of course, as Tax Advisers we had to see and have photos taken at Pump Court Tax Chambers.

We also had a three-course lunch which was served in the Elizabethan Great Hall of the Middle Temple. A lovely building with an oak beamed roof and original Elizabethan stained-glass windows. The food was excellent. A delightful experience and everyone enjoyed their day.

Peter Allen