LONDON: The Old Bailey

Watch any British crime drama on TV, theatre or movie and you're bound to have heard mention of "The Old Bailey".

The "Old Bailey" is only a nickname for what's really called the "Central Criminal Court of England and Wales." 

You might ask why is it called the "Old Bailey"? The name comes from the street the court is located on, which marks the route of the City's original fortified wall (or 'bailey'). 

The Criminal Court hears criminal cases which must be tried by a judge sitting with a jury. These are the most serious offences. 

Trials at the Old Bailey are open to the public.

At the top of the building stands the 22-ton, 3.5m tall figure of Lady Justice, clutching the sword of retribution in her right hand, and the scales of justice in the other. Contrary to the well-worn adage that justice is blind, this particular Justice is not blind(folded). This is because Lady Justice was originally not blindfolded, her "maidenly form" is supposed to "guarantee her impartiality which renders the blindfold redundant." I am not even going to tackle whatever that is supposed to mean.

Containing 19 courts and 70 prisoner cells, thousands of people, including judges, counsel, jurors, witnesses, defendants, staff, and members of the public enter the building daily. They are greeted by this sign, "Defend the Children of the Poor and Punish the Wrongdoer."

The interior features a central hall and a grand marble staircase. 

Up the stairs leads to the hall with the courtrooms. 

Hangings used to be a public spectacle in the street outside. Large, rowdy crowds sometimes gathered and pelted the condemned with rotten fruit and vegetables and stones. In 1868, at the last public hanging here, 20,000 people came by tube! In an age before cell phones, Netflix, Amazon Prime and YouTube entertainment, it appeared hangings were an event not to be missed.

During the bombing of London in World War II the Old Bailey sustained significant damage. 

Also, in 1973, the Belfast Brigade of the Provisional IRA exploded a car bomb in the street outside, killing one and injuring 200 people. A shard of glass embedded in the wall is preserved as a reminder.

We were toured through a couple of courtrooms, plus through the holding cells in the basement. However, that's where the permission to take pictures ended. So you will just have to use your imagination, or scenes from British crime dramas to fill the void. 

Despite John looking like he posed for a mugshot, 

I am happy to say that John and I saw the interior of the Old Bailey on a tour, and not through the defendant's box in our own crime drama.