Interior of the Temple Church, City of London, c1905 (1906). The Temple Church is a late 12th century church in the City of London located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, built by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters. During the reign of King John (1199-1216) it served as the royal treasury, supported by the role of the Knights Templars as proto-international bankers. It is jointly owned by the Inner Temple and Middle Temple Inns of Court, bases of the English legal profession. It is notable for being a round church, a common feature of Knights Templar churches, and for its 13th and 14th century stone effigies. From Medieval London, Vol. II - Ecclesiastical by Sir Walter Besant. [Adam & Charles Black, London, 1906]
