After one of the Treasurer’s Lectures this year, I was chatting to one of the guests in the Hall and they remarked that ‘Middle Temple is really one enormous engine’. As well as thanking him for giving me my opening line for this foreword, I remarked that there was so much that went on in the Inn that was often unseen. As if on cue, one of our companions then said that a predecessor of mine as Under Treasurer had been 13 years in the role, and there were still areas of the Inn that were new to him after over a decade. As always, there is much to learn, and it made me reflect on the many different parts which make up the Inn and the year we have been fortunate to enjoy.
The areas of the Inn seen by most are, of course, the Education and Membership Departments. The Education Department will tell you that they simply follow an annual programme, as unchanging as the seasons. The reality, as with many such myths, is somewhat more complex. An ever improving and challenging series of Qualifying Sessions, hundreds of students interviewed for scholarships, support of myriad sorts given to aspirant barristers and more. This year, the department is leading a new initiative to reconnect the Inn to some of the leading law departments in UK universities, ensuring that we continue to attract high-quality students into the future.
The one constant which has not changed substantially, well, not in the last 80 years, is the estate. The constant stream of awe-inspired tourists who walk up and down the Lane is a testament to our good fortune in living and working in such a historic and well-kept space. The Estates Department seems to be in an era of large projects. First, to renew some areas of the Church, most notably the West Door and Vestry. In the case of the former, work is well underway: the stone has been sourced in Caen, will come to Canterbury to be cut, and will be installed from the Spring of next year. The second major project is to redevelop 3 Temple Gardens, which has become something of a delinquent as its spaces are outdated and difficult to let. The planning stages of the redevelopment are well underway, and we hope to start substantive work next year.
If one does not come to the Inn to participate in the education offering or to revel in the estate, it is likely that you will have come for one of the events immaculately run by the Membership Department in partnership with the team from Graysons. There are many events to mention, but the series of Treasurer’s Lectures have struck a chord this year. Whether it was the wide-scoped and engaging Lady Chief Justice or Master Emily Jackson explaining how skin cells can be programmed to be any human cell with wide-ranging repercussions for the future, they have challenged us all.
All this does not, of course, simply happen. The hidden parts of the Middle Temple ‘engine’ are running at full pace to enable all of this. The Treasury Office, incorporating the all-important finance, HR and Communications Departments, never seem to rest, while the Library increases annually its footfall, proving itself a ‘market leader’ in legal library services. The Archive & Collections team have delivered another year of stunning exhibitions, reminding us all of our distinguished and varied history, as well as providing some useful starting points for those who have to deliver speeches about the Inn. Ensuring we are safe at work is a concern for us all, and the front of house and security teams do sterling work year-round. The cyber-attacks on some well-known brands remind us, and the IT Department will prompt you if you forget, that security includes, of course, online security as well as physical security.
Finally, the dedicated garden team, headed by Kate, won yet another award earlier in the year and has delivered another stunning garden for our events this summer. You might take your e-copy of the Middle Templar into the garden and read it while enjoying a drink from the Garden Room. Happy Reading!
