Gatehouse Court

The lawyers arrived at this site some time before 1422, occupying what had been the London palace of the Bishops of Chichester which was centred on what is now Gatehouse Court.  The Hall, Chapel and living quarters of the palace were ideal for a collegiate residence during the legal terms.

The buildings on the south side are 17th century in origin but were rebuilt in the 1960s.  The buildings to the east, bordering Chancery Lane were built at the end of the 19th century in a vaguely Tudor style.

The Gatehouse on the eastern side of the Court was built during the years 1517 to 1521, with bricks dug and made within the Inn. Since then the Gatehouse has undergone much repair work, including during 1967-69 when the Gatehouse was largely rebuilt and restored. The present great oak doors, however, date from 1564.

The Gatehouse was for centuries the main entrance to the Inn.  Only the building of the Great Hall and the new Gatehouse at the bottom of Newman’s Row in 1843-5 changed the main approach to the Inn.