Middle Temple is a tranquil oasis in central London consisting of beautiful historic buildings and spaces, which has in recent years let to it becoming an iconic filming destination. In this month’s edition, we look back at a selection of the wide range of productions that have used the Middle Temple as a set location and explore areas of the Inn’s history through themes touched upon in these films.
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
The Da Vinci Code stars Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou and Ian McKellen, and is based on Dan Brown’s mystery thriller novel of the same name. During the film, a murder at the Louvre and some cryptic clues in Leonardo da Vinci’s paintings lead to the discovery of a religious mystery. However, should this mystery be discovered, after being kept secret for 2,000 years by a secret society, it could rock the foundations of Christianity.
During the film the interior of Temple Church is used as the characters Robert, Sophie and Sir Leigh Teabing search for clues. Following the menacing appearance of a villain, Robert and Sophie manage to escape and run away; this scene is filmed down Inner Temple Lane.
Scenes from The Da Vinci Code (2006).
Before the arrival of the lawyers and the emergence of the societies of the Middle Temple and the Inner Temple, the Temple lands were occupied by the Knights Templar, who had moved their headquarters to the area in 1160 and begun to build a new church, modelled on the round Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The Temple Church was consecrated in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem on 2 or 10 February (Candlemas) 1185. The Knights Templar remained at the Temple until Pope Clement V (in thrall to the French King) officially disbanded the Order in 1312.
Lantern slide of an engraving of a Knight Templar descending the staircase to the triforium at Temple Church. MT/19/SLI/139.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
The third instalment of the Pirates of the Caribbean series follows the eccentric pirate Captain Jack Sparrow on a quest for the Fountain of Youth after crossing paths with Angelica, a mysterious woman from his past, and being forced aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of the legendary pirate Blackbeard.
Middle Temple Lane was used during a scene in which Jack Sparrow is attempting to escape from British soldiers in a burning carriage. One can clearly see Sparrow’s carriage coming through the archway from the Embankment and up the cobbled lane.
Scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean: On Strangers Tide (2011).
Many members of the Inn have sailed the oceans, from the late 1400s onward, joining expeditions in increasing numbers and establishing colonies around the world, playing an important role in this era of overseas expansion, trade and imperialism. Sir Francis Drake was a familiar figure at the Inn and a visit to Hall following one of his expeditions is recorded in the Minutes of Parliament. Men such as Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Martin Frobisher and Richard Hakluyt were admitted to the Inn - membership of the Middle Temple in this period unlocked an important social network, and it is thought that the Inn may have been the setting for the negotiations and planning that led to some of the notable voyages and ventures of the age.
Transparency of the Terrestrial Molyneux Globe. MT/19/PHO/6/6.
Shakespeare in Love (1998)
This film is a romantic comedy which depicts a fictional love affair between William Shakespeare and Viola De Lesseps. The pair fall in love, but their relationship is doomed by social barriers and Viola’s arranged marriage to Lord Wessex. The romance then influences Shakespeare to turn the comedy on which he is working in a tragedy, which becomes Romeo and Juliet.
During the command performance of Two Gentlemen of Verona for Queen Elizabeth I, Middle Temple Hall doubles up at the Banqueting Hall at the Palace of Whitehall.
Scenes from Shakespeare In Love (1998).
At the Inn’s Candlemas Feast on 2 February 1602 (1601 by the reckoning of the Julian calendar then in use) the first recorded performance of Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night, also known as What You Will, was staged in Middle Temple Hall. In common with the mid-winter festival during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, misrule was a central theme of the play. It also included many jokes relating to the law and apparent in-jokes relevant to the Inns of Court that suggest it may have been written for the occasion.
Photograph of the cast of Twelfth Night from a performance in Hall in 1897. MT/19/PHO/2/1.
Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
The sequel to the original 1964 film, Mary Poppins, this film is set 25 years later in Depression-era London. The film follows Mary Poppins, a magical nanny, who returns to help the Banks siblings (now grown-up), and Michael’s three children cope with a loss. During her time with them, Poppins takes the family on a fun-filled and magical adventure.
Middle Temple Lane and the Devereux Court gate feature in the film during the song Trip a Little Light Fantastic. During this scene, Mary and the children are lost in the fog when they find Jack sitting on top of an iron gate, the group then begin to dance on the Lane during the song.
Scenes from Mary Poppins Returns (2018).
Fireplaces and chimneys are synonymous with Mary Poppins and have historically been the primary way to heat rooms and chambers around the Inn. However, their use has often caused a large amount of smoke on the estate and resultant complaints from residents. A complaint in June 1841 came from a Mr Cooke at 3 Elm Court, who wrote that “I suffer from the smoky chimneys of my chambers; I should be glad to obtain another chambers in the Temple.” The issue of excess smoke from chimneys was still causing problems over 100 years later, when in 1957, a tenant of 2 Garden Court asked if something can be done to limit the smoke levels, writing that “the prevailing N.E. wind does not help, but need so much smoke be made in the first place?”
Lantern slide of an engraving of the interior of a panelled room, fireplace, hearth and mantlepiece. MT/19/SLI/79.
A Christmas Carol: BBC TV Series (2019)
In 2019, the BBC produced a three-part adaptation of Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, which was a much darker take on the classic story. The plot follows Ebenezer Scrooge, a man known for his unsympathetic nature, who is visited three times by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future on Christmas Eve to prompt him to change his ways.
Middle Temple Lane is covered in snow during the series and used for various London Street scenes throughout the show. The location of the Scrooge and Marley Investments Office is in Essex Court.
Scenes from A Christmas Carol: BBC TV Series (2019).
In 1839, Charles Dickens, one of the world's best-known novelists, was admitted to the Inn as a student. He was, however, never Called to the Bar, as he focussed on his growing literary career rather than the law. He eventually petitioned to withdraw from membership of the Inn in 1855 (and at the same time asked for the return of a £100 deposit he had made). Dickens’ time at the Middle Temple gave rise to descriptions of the dingy alleyways and dilapidated buildings in his works, and the Inn’s fountain that features at a key juncture in Martin Chuzzlewit.
Portrait of Charles Dickens. MT/19/POR/196.
Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016)
This film is the third instalment of the Bridget Jones’s Diary film series, set five years after Bridget has broken up with Mark Darcy. Jones is shocked to find out she is pregnant and must deduce which of her two recent loves is the father, lawyer Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) or mathematician Jack Qwant (Patrick Dempsey), all while trying to hide one from the other.
Middle Temple Lane and the entrance to Middle Temple Hall both feature in the film during a scene in which Bridget and Mark walk over from the court to Mark’s office. This scene shows them walking up the lane from Embankment side toward Fleet Street before entering into Mark’s office via the steps at the entrance to Hall.
Scenes from Bridget Jones's Baby (2016).
While many aspects of life at the Inn are recorded in official documentation, personal diaries have offered a greater insight to some of the more colourful details of life at the Inn. For example, the Christmas Revels of the early modern period are reflected in diary entries. Samuiel Pepys records, on Candlemas 1663, meeting one Madam Turner, who had 'been at the play to-day at the Temple, it being a revelling time with them'. The diarist John Evelyn, a Middle Templar himself, took a rather dimmer view of events, describing how in January 1668 he 'went to see the revels at the Middle Temple, which is... an old riotous custom, and has relation neither to virtue nor policy'.
Portrait of John Evelyn. MT/19/POR/262.
Mission Impossible V: Rogue Nation (2015)
This film follows Impossible Missions Force agent Ethan Hunt and his team, who, after their disbandment and Hunt's pursuit by the Central Intelligence Agency, must fight The Syndicate, an international group of rogue government agents.
The Cloisters by Pump Court and Temple Church are used in a scene when a confrontation between two characters, Ilsa and Vinter, escalates into a violent knife fight.
Scenes from Mission Impossible V: Rogue Nation (2015).
Important missions haven’t been unfamiliar territory for many Middle Temple members. For example, Ewen Montagu (admitted in 1920 and Called in 1924) is well known for his leading role in Operation Mincemeat. During the Second World War, he led on this critical military deception operation that worked to misdirect the attention of German forces away from the Allied invasion of Sicily. The successful deception involved a corpse dressed as a British officer being washed ashore in pro-German Spain carrying falsified papers revealing plans for an invasion of Greece.
Photograph of Ewen Montagu.
Conclusion
Throughout this article we have looked at a selection of films which have used the Inn as a shooting location, allowing the buildings and outdoor spaces of the Middle Temple to serve as the setting for a wide range of narratives in an array of genres, and connected the themes of these films the Inn’s own history, and that of its members. No doubt we will see the Inn on the big or small screen again soon.