Visiting The Spectacular Old Bailey: Britain’s Most legendary Court

The words “Old Bailey” tend to conjure images of some of the most famous — and infamous — trials in British history. Officially known as the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, the Old Bailey stands in the City of London and has witnessed more than its share of drama and justice and many well-known names in British legal history have crossed its threshold.

The current building dates from 1907 but, as is so often the case in London, the story stretches much further back. Its history also reflects the changing nature of crime and punishment in the capital over the centuries.

Public tours of the building run on Saturdays. I therefore went along and it was a truly fascinating glimpse into one of London’s most historic institutions.

London’s Most Notorious Prison

Newgate Prison, without doubt the most notorious prison in London’s history, was founded in 1188 roughly where the Old Bailey stands today.

It was originally set up within the ‘Newgate’, one of the seven gates in the walls of the medieval city (the others being Aldgate, Bishopsgate, Moorgate, Cripplegate, Aldersgate and Ludgate). The name ‘Old Bailey’ by the way is the name of the street on which the court stands, which in turn likely takes its name from its location by the city wall or ‘bailey’ of the old City of London.

Newgate crossed over what is now Newgate Street and was eventually demolished in 1767. The prison itself was expanded in the 15th century and constructed on the site of the current courthouse. 

Below is what the prison looked like in 1810. 

Brutal Conditions

The conditions at Newgate were notoriously utterly brutal and inhumane. Overcrowding, filth, disease most notably ‘jail fever’, a type of typhoid, were rampant, leading to high mortality rates. 

Newgate has held many famous prisoners over the centuries, such as Daniel Defoe in 1703 for publishing a satirical pamphlet, Jack Sheppard the 18th century thief, who famously escaped from prison four times and became a folk hero and Captain Kidd on charges of piracy. The prison was visited by Charles Dickens and social reformer Elizabeth Fry in the 19th century, who both campaigned for improved conditions. 

Public Executions

Newgate was also where prisoners who had been condemned to death were commonly held before being taken to Tyburn to be publicly executed. That is until 1783 when Tyburn closed and the executions moved outside the very door of Newgate Prison itself.

Over 1000 people are thought to have been publicly executed here in front of crowds of thousands. The last public execution to take place here was in 1868. 

A courthouse was attached to the prison from 1585. The court and the prison had to be rebuilt after the Great Fire of London in 1666 and after the Gordon Riots in 1780. 

A New Building Arises

Newgate Prison was finally demolished for good in 1902. You can see one surviving wall of the old Newgate Prison, around the corner on Amen Court. 

The current building was designed by Edward William Mountford in a dramatic Edwardian Baroque style from 1900-1907. 

Many of the exterior sculpture work is by FW Pomeroy, such as the sculptures representing truth and fortitude, flanking the ominous ‘Recording Angel’ directly over the entranceway.

At the top os the dome is the famous gold-gilded statue of Justice, with her sword in one hand and her scales in the other. She is not, as is commonly assumed, blindfolded. 

A new South block was added from 1968-72. This is main entranceway into the Old Bailey today and where you enter for the tour.

On the 8th March 1973, a car bomb was detonated outside the Old Bailey by the IRA. It was the first major attack in England since The Troubles began in the late 1960s. Another bomb was set off outside the Ministry of Agriculture on Whitehall and two others were found and defused. Over 200 people were injured in the attacks.

We were shown a shard of glass lodged high in the wall inside the South block. It has been kept as a historic reminder. 

The Grand Hall 

We were taken on the tour into the Lower Hall, which was an impressive space, with marble columns, mosaics and alcoves. 

The most spectacular area however is the Grand Hall. Below is the view you have as you ascend the marble staircase.

The beautiful murals by Gerald Moira depict various allegorical scenes.

There are paintings of Truth, Art, Labour and Learning in the interior of the dome. Sculptures by FW Pomeroy again can be seen around the edge.

A bomb destroyed the North-West corner of the Old Bailey, during The Blitz, on the 9th/10th May 1941. Moira, the same artist who had painted the murals back in 1906 returned in 1950 to repaint the damaged murals and paint a new mural depicting The Blitz. 

In one of the murals, Moira even included himself in the background. 

There are also various statues of key figures in the history of the Old Bailey, such as Elizabeth Fry.

Court Number One

The tour continued with us being taken into a couple of courtrooms; Court Number One, an older and more historic space and then a modern one. 

We were not allowed to take photographs in the courtrooms, but it was really interesting to sit in there are hear all about how a courtroom operates at The Old Bailey. In Court Number One particularly, you got a sense of a weight of history, as it is where some of the most notorious criminals in British history have been tried. 

Below are two photographs of Court Number One that are in the public domain.

Famous Trials

Court Number One is where Dr Crippen was tried for the murder and dismemberment of his wife Cora Crippen in 1910.

American-born fascist William Joyce, aka “Lord Haw-Haw”, was tried here and sentenced to death for treason in 1945, after sending Nazi propaganda to England during World War Two. The nickname was coined by the Daily Express to mock his fake aristocratic accent.

It is where the Kray Twins were tried in 1968-1969 for murder, both given a minimum term of 30 years, bringing an end to their reign of organised crime in the East End.

It is also where Dennis Nilsen was given life imprisonment for six murders and two attempted murders in 1983. 

Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in Britain, was tried here in 1955 after shooting her lover David Blakely outside The Magdala pub in Hampstead. The short two day trial saw her sentenced to death, a judgement that ignored the history of abuse she had received from her husband over years.

For a final example, it is where Oscar Wilde was tried for homosexual acts or ‘gross indecency’ as Victorian law phrased it at the time. In May 1895 he was sentenced to two years hard labour in prison. 

The Cells and Judge’s Dining Room

The tour continued (again no photos allowed), by taking us down to the court cells, where prisoners are held before their trials. These were accessed by descending down the steps directly from the dock. 

The judge’s dining room also had lots of other interesting details, including coats of arms and remnants of Newgate prison. 

Visiting the Old Bailey 

You can find out more about the guided tours here. They run most Saturdays at multiple times of day. A standard adult ticket is currently £27.80. 

The Old Bailey is generally open to the public, as most trials are publicly accessible. Visits to the Old Bailey are generally from Monday-Friday, 9:55 AM–12:40 PM and 1:55 PM–3:40 PM. Visitors must be 14+, pass strict security, and wear appropriate clothing. No phones, cameras, or large bags are permitted, with no on-site storage available. Find out more here.

Thank you for reading, more blog posts on London’s amazing historical spots below!