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Old Bailey Review

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Old Bailey

Address: Newgate St., The City, London, EC4M 7EH | Map It
Phone: 020/7248-3277 information
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

Category: Government Buildings
Location: The City

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Fodor's Review:

If you're lucky, this is the place to watch the real-life drama of justice in action in one of the 16 courtrooms that are open to the public. Previous trials have included those of Crippen and Christie, two of England's most notorious wife murderers, as well as the controversial trial of Oscar Wilde and, less so, the notorious East End gangsters, the Kray twins. The day's hearings are posted on the sign outside, but your best bet is to consult the previous day's tabloid newspapers for an idea of the trials that are making waves. There are security restrictions, and children under 14 are not allowed in; call the information line first. The present-day Central Criminal Court is where Newgate Prison stood from the 12th century right until the beginning of the 20th century. Called by the novelist Henry Fielding the "prototype of hell," few survived for long in the version pulled down in 1770. Those who didn't starve were hanged, or pressed to death in the Press Yard, or they succumbed to the virulent gaol (the archaic British spelling of jail) fever. The next model lasted only a couple of years before being torn down by raving mobs during the anti-Catholic Gordon Riots of 1780, to be replaced by the Newgate that Dickens described in several novels, including Oliver Twist. The Central Criminal Court replaced Newgate in 1907, and the most famous feature of the solid Edwardian building is the 12-foot gilded statue of Justice perched on top; she was intended to mirror the dome of St. Paul's.

Open: Public Gallery weekdays 10-1 and 2-4:30 (approx.); line forms at Newgate St. entrance or in Warwick St. Passage; closed bank holidays and day after
Tube: St. Paul's

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