Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±

Scales of Justice above the Old Bailey Law Courts (Central Criminal Court) on former site of Newgate Prison, London, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Getty Images/Robert Harding World Imagery

Central Criminal Court

London


Taking in a trial in what's nicknamed the Old Bailey leaves watching a TV courtroom drama for dust. Even if you end up sitting in on a fairly run-of-the-mill case, simply being in the court where such people as the Kray brothers and Oscar Wilde (in an earlier building on this site) once appeared is memorable.

The daily register of cases is posted outside, to the right of the main doorway on Old Bailey; the public-gallery entrance is via Warwick Passage a few steps to the south. Choose from among 18 courts, of which the oldest – courts one to four – usually have the most interesting cases. As cameras, video equipment, mobile phones, large bags and food and drink are all forbidden inside, and there are no cloakrooms or lockers, it’s important not to take these with you. If you’re interested in a high-profile trial, get here early.

The Central Criminal Court gets its nickname from the street on which it stands: baillie was Norman French for ‘enclosed courtyard’. The current building opened in 1907 on the combined site of a previous court and Newgate Prison. Intriguingly the figure of Justice holding a sword and scales in her hands above the building’s copper dome is not blindfolded as is traditionally the case.


Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±'s must-see attractions

Nearby London attractions

1. Holy Sepulchre

0.09 MILES

After being gutted in the Great Fire of 1666, the church approached Sir Christopher Wren but apparently got tired of waiting on him so it sourced another…

2. Golden Boy of Pye Corner

0.13 MILES

This small statue of a podgy naked child has a strange dedication: ‘This Boy is in Memmory [sic] Put up for the late Fire of London occasion'd by the Sin…

3. Holborn Viaduct

0.16 MILES

Completed in 1869, this fine iron bridge was built to link Holborn and Newgate St above what had been a valley created by the River Fleet. The four bronze…

4. St Paul's Cathedral

0.19 MILES

Sir Christopher Wren’s 300-year-old architectural masterpiece is a London icon. Towering over diminutive Ludgate Hill in a superb position that's been a…

5. St Bride’s

0.19 MILES

Printing presses on Fleet St fell silent in the 1980s, but St Bride's is still referred to as the 'journalists' church'; a moving memorial in the north…

6. Postman's Park

0.21 MILES

This serene patch of green, north of what was once London's General Post Office, contains the unusual Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice, a loggia with 54…

7. St Vedast-alias-Foster

0.24 MILES

At street level, it's easy to accidentally hurry past St Vedast, but it's worth slowing down and stepping back to admire the three-layered baroque church…

8. St Andrew Holborn

0.24 MILES

First mentioned in the 10th century, St Andrew's was rebuilt by Wren in 1686 and is the largest of his parish churches. The airy interior includes large,…