Stepping through the gates of Lincoln's Inn feels like entering a different century altogether. This isn't just another historic building in London – it's a living, breathing institution that's been training barristers for nearly 600 years, tucked away in Holborn like a secret the city has been keeping.

The eleven-acre site spreads out before you with an almost village-like quality that's remarkable considering you're minutes from the Royal Courts of Justice and the London School of Economics. I've walked these grounds several times, and each visit reveals something new. The 15th-century hall dominates one side, while the 17th-century chapel anchors another corner of the square. What strikes me most is how the buildings seem to grow organically from the courtyards rather than being imposed upon them.

The history here runs deep. A Bishop of Chichester owned this land back in the 13th century, building what must have been quite the estate with hall, chapel, and extensive gardens. By 1422, the site had found its true calling when Lincoln's Inn – one of London's four surviving Inns of Court – made it their home. The medieval legal world was fascinating in its own way; universities didn't teach law back then, so these societies essentially shaped English Common Law while recruiting and training the legal minds of their time.

Walking around, you can spot remnants of that earlier episcopal residence. During 19th-century excavations, workers uncovered 13th-century stones that hint at the site's deeper past. There's something compelling about these layers of history – the way centuries of legal tradition have built upon much older foundations.

What I find most intriguing is that Lincoln's Inn isn't a museum. Barristers still train here, still walk these same paths their predecessors have worn smooth over the centuries. You might glimpse them in their traditional garb, heading to or from the hall, carrying on traditions that stretch back to when this corner of London was genuinely on the outskirts of the city.

The Inn sits perfectly positioned between the City of London and Westminster, close to Holborn or Chancery Lane tube stations. It's named, most likely, after Henry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln, though the connection feels less important than the continuity of purpose that defines the place.

Discover all the secrets of Lincoln's Inn with our comprehensive London audio guide and understand how this remarkable institution has shaped English law for centuries.