Old Bailey

The Old Bailey stands in the City of London on the street that gave it its name. It is the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, one of several buildings that house the Crown Court. The street follows the route of London’s ancient wall, part of the old fortification’s bailey. The court has occupied successive buildings on this site since at least the 16th century, originally alongside Newgate Prison. The present main block, completed in 1902, was designed by Edward William Mountford and is a Grade II* listed building. An extension called the South Block was added in 1972 over the former prison site, demolished in 1904. The court hears major criminal cases from Greater London and, in exceptional circumstances, from other parts of England and Wales. Trials are open to the public but subject to strict security. Its history includes some of the country’s most notorious trials, such as that of Dr William Palmer in 1856. The building has witnessed public executions outside its walls until 1868, when hangings were moved inside. A car bomb planted by the IRA in 1973 killed one person and injured 200, and a fragment of glass from that attack remains embedded in the wall. Visitors enter the Great Hall beneath the dome, decorated with paintings of the Blitz and scenes of St Paul’s Cathedral. Around the hall run inscriptions of legal axioms, some with biblical references. Statues and busts line the walls, chiefly of monarchs and reformers who campaigned for better prison conditions between 1700 and 1900. Above the main entrance is the inscription: “Defend the Children of the Poor & Punish the Wrongdoer.” The gilt bronze statue of Lady Justice by F. W. Pomeroy stands on the dome, holding a sword and scales. The hall also once housed stenographers’ offices until technology replaced them in 2012.