Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey)

Just as fact is often better than fiction, taking in a trial in the ‘Old Bailey’ leaves watching a TV courtroom drama for dust. Of course, it’s too late to see author Jeffrey Archer being found guilty of perjury here, watch the Guildford Four’s convictions being quashed after their wrongful imprisonment for IRA terrorist attacks or view the Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe being sent down. However, the Old Bailey is a byword for crime and notoriety. So even if you sit in on a fairly run-of-the-mill trial, simply being in the court where such people as the Kray twins and Oscar Wilde (in an earlier building on this site) once appeared is memorable in itself. Choose from 18 courts, of which the oldest – courts 1, 2 and 3 – 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. Take a cardigan or something to cushion the hard seats though, and if you’re interested in a high-profile trial, get there 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 Old Bailey 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 (against undue influence, as is traditionally the case). That’s a situation that has sparked many a sarcastic comment from those being charged here.