Step inside Gray’s Inn and explore its historic grounds and rare archive material, including stories connected to Francis Bacon.
- About Sir Francis Bacon
About Sir Francis Bacon
A portrait of Sir Francis Bacon Sir Francis Bacon (22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626) was a lawyer, statesman, philosopher and the first Queens Counsel, appointed to this role by Queen Elizabeth I. He was also a proud and active Member of The Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn.
Admitted to the Inn as a student in 1575, Sir Franics lived on the Estate in a building in Gray’s Inn Square. Deeply engaged in the social and administrative life of the Inn, he became a Master of the Bench in 1586 and was appointed Treasurer in 1608 serving until 1617. During his working and collegiate life at the Inn he planned and drove forwards the development of the Walks (the gardens of the Inn), wrote numerous masques and entertainments for students and was very
much a part of life here as he continued to rise through legal offices, write and experiment.
To celebrate his life and works, Gray’s Inn is offering non-Members the rare opportunity to have a tour of rooms and grounds of the Inn, purchase lunch in Hall and view a display of selected archival material related to Sir Francis Bacon. Although much has changed in London over the centuries, the Gray’s Inn which Sir Francis knew and loved would still be familiar to him, two areas especially:
Hall is where, on December 28 1594, the first known performance of Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors” took place as part of the Inn’s Christmas festivities and many other plays and performances have been staged there over the centuries. Badly damaged during the Blitz, the Hall’s 16th-century walls managed to survive and the stained glass, paintings and Treasurers’ Shields had already been removed to a place of safety and were replaced on the reconstructed walls. Sir Francis would have spent many days and evenings in Hall learning, feasting and socialising and it would be broadly familiar to him today having taken its current form when it was rebuilt between 1556 and 1558.
The Walks cover 5.8 acres and are one of the largest privately owned gardens in London. Their current design dates back to when Sir Francis laid them out, first starting to fund this work in 1598. He and later the Inn paid for trees, shrubbery, the building of stairs, for a gardener with assistants and labourers, for the construction of a mound or bank and a small ‘banqueting house’ dedicated to his friend Jeremy Bettenham. Although this building has gone and the flora and fauna have changed somewhat over the years they still stand as a testament to his long interest in gardens and gardening.
Event details
Location: arrival at South Square by the statue of Sir Francis Bacon
Date and time: Friday 20 February, 11.30am
Who can attend: Open to all
Cost: £50 (not including lunch, c.£22)
Dress Code: smart casual
Booking
Book online via the Gray’s Inn Online System (GIOS).
Read our Events Terms & Conditions
The tour of the Estate is planned to cover the Walks, Chapel, Library, Hall, Small Pension Room, Large Pension Room and Benchers Library. Please note that due to the busy educational schedule of the Inn some rooms might be unavailable at short notice. The Inn reserves the right to cancel or amend the tours as necessary in line with its Terms and Conditions. Please note that the tour will be of the Inn buildings and history in general and with reference to the period when Sir Francis was here. It will be informative but not exhaustive.