The first court house on this site was built in 1539 and the current buildings, which include at their base, stones from Newgate prison, date from 1907. The buildings were badly damaged during the Blitz in 1942 and bombed by the IRA in 1973.
The court is reserved for trying the most serious crimes such as murder and famous trials that have been held here include those of Oscar Wilde (1895), Dr Crippen (1910) and the Yorkshire Ripper (1981).
You can view details of all criminal trials held at the Old Bailey between 1674 and 1834 on their web site.
Read about the locations of London’s historic prisons and read about the history of London’s prisons.
You can visit the Old Bailey and the site of Newgate prison on the legal walk and city walk.