Chancery Lane

Chancery Lane is the street which has been the western boundary of the City of London since 1994 having previously been divided between Westminster and Camden. The route originated as a 'new lane' created by the Knights Templar from their original 'old Temple' on the site of the present Southampton Buildings, on Holborn, to give access to their newly acquired property to the south of Fleet Street, ie the present Temple, sometime before 1161.^[1]

Chancery Lane connects High Holborn at its northerly end (grid reference TQ309816) and Temple Bar in Fleet Street at the south (TQ311811); it gives its name to Chancery Lane tube station which lies at the junction of Holborn and Gray's Inn Road, some yards from Chancery Lane's northern end.

The street is predominately occupied by the legal profession, consulting firms and ancillary businesses. Lincoln's Inn occupies most of the western side north of Carey Street. Chancery Lane takes its name from the historic High Court of Chancery, which started its association with the area when the Bishop of Lincoln acquired the 'old Temple' in 1161. In later centuries the Court convened in Lincoln's Inn Old Hall and other buildings there for the Court's purposes, such as the important Six Clerks’ Office. On the eastern side of the street, below Breams Buildings, was the Master of the Rolls precincts where he resided and kept the records. From 1852 the site was developed into the Public Record Office ('PRO'), the present Grade II* listed, Gothic Revival which removed to Kew as the National Archive. In 1996 this became The Maughan Library of King's College London.

The Patent Office was originally situated off Southampton Buildings and some of the minor side streets also are named after their associations with now defunct legal practices, eg Rolls Buildings and Cursitor Alley. Just to the south of the old PRO is an Old Serjeants Inn^[2].

The principal building of the Law Society of England and Wales, the professional body for solicitors, is at 113. Ede and Ravenscroft, the oldest tailors in London, have their main (and historic) outlet and offices at 93, which is also their outlet for legal dress. The London Silver Vaults are located at the northern end of the Lane.

References

1. ^ "The Map of Early Modern London : Chancery Lane". James Campbell. http://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/render_page.php?id=CHAN1. Retrieved 2009-01-18. 
2. ^ "The Wards of Farringdon: Chancery Lane Tony Sharp 2000

Coordinates: 51°30′58″N 0°06′44″W / 51.5162°N 0.1121°W / 51.5162; -0.1121