Old Bailey
- Old Bailey map
- Address:
- Old Bailey, Corner of Newgate and Old Bailey Street, The City EC4M 7EH
- Tel:
- 0207 248 3277
- Web:
- cityoflondon.gov.uk
Opening times and price
- Opening hours:
- Court cases usually sit between 9.55 AM and 12.40 PM, and 1.55 PM to 3.40 PM (Mon-Fri)
- Visiting hours are subject to change
Getting to Old Bailey
- Visiting hours are subject to change
- Parking:
- Find car parks near Old Bailey
- Taxis:
- Find minicab firms near Old Bailey
- Buses:
- 4, 8, 11, 15, 17, 23, 25, 26, 46, 56, 76, 172, 242, 521
- Bus tickets 2019
- Trains:
- Barbican CRC H&C MET, Blackfriars CRC DSC, Farringdon CRC H&C MET, St. Paul’s CNT
- The nearest train station to Old Bailey is St Pauls
- Train tickets 2019
- Oyster tickets 2019
- Travelcard tickets 2019
- Contactless tickets 2019
The Old Bailey, officially known as London’s Central Criminal Court, is more commonly known by its moniker ‘Old Bailey’ – a name taken from the nearby street. It is believed to have derived from Baillie
– a french word from the time of the Norman Conquest, meaning fortified church
.
It was built by Edward Mountford in 1907 on the site of the notorious Newgate Prison, pulled down five years before. Newgate was where the criminals were condemned to death, and dragged up to Tyburn to meet their maker.
Some of the more famous cases in recent history include Peter Sutcliffe being sent down for life (the so-called ‘Yorkshire Ripper’), Jeffery Archer being banged up for perjury, and the Guildford Four’s convictions being quashed on appeal. World War II traitor Lord Haw-Haw was condemned to death here for his Nazi broadcasts to the nation, and Dr. Crippen went down for poisoning his wife. It was also where the Kray Twins finally caught up with justice.
The galleries are usually open to the public, and you have 18 courts to choose from. But try and arrive early for courts 1, 2 or 3 – as they tend to have the best cases.
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Events at Old Bailey
Watch a real-life court case at the Old Bailey From
If you enjoy this then try: Royal Courts of Justice (walk it in 12 mins or catch a train from St Pauls to Temple).
Search for political events
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Attend PMQs Prime Ministers Questions You can watch the Prime Minister get grilled by the House of Commons every Wednesday, at Prime Minister's Questions.
Saturday tour of the Houses of Parliament The Houses of Parliament offers guided tours on most Saturdays when the MPs have returned to their constituencies.
Listen to a speech at Speakers Corner Visit Speakers' Corner on a Sunday lunchtime and hear orators discussing whatever they like in the name of free speech.