4909 x 3838 px | 41,6 x 32,5 cm | 16,4 x 12,8 inches | 300dpi
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Central Criminal Court in England, commonly known as the Old Bailey, is a court building in central London, one of a number housing the Crown Court. The Crown Court sitting at the Central Criminal Court deals with major criminal cases from Greater London and, exceptionally, from other parts of England. It stands on the site of the medieval Newgate Gaol, on Old Bailey, a road which follows the line of the City's fortified wall (or bailey), and gives the court its popular name. It lies between Holborn Circus and St Paul's Cathedral. The court originated as the sessions house of the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs of the City of London and of Middlesex. The original medieval court was first mentioned in 1585, it seems to have grown out of the endowment for an improved Newgate prison and rooms for the Sheriffs made possible by a gift of Sir Richard Whittington. It was destroyed in the 1666 Fire of London. It was rebuilt in 1674, with the court open to the weather to prevent the spread of disease. In 1734 it was refronted, enclosing the court and reducing the influence of spectators: this led to outbreaks of typhus, notably in 1750 when sixty people died, including the Lord Mayor and two judges. It was rebuilt again in 1774 and a second courtroom was added in 1824. In 1834 it was renamed as the Central Criminal Court and its jurisdiction extended beyond that of London and Middlesex to the whole of the English jurisdiction for trial of major cases. However, the building actually belongs to the City of London Corporation. The Court was originally for trial only of crimes committed in the City and Middlesex but in 1856, public revulsion at the accusations made against doctor William Palmer, that he was a poisoner and murderer, led to fears that he could not enjoy a fair trial in his native Staffordshire. The Central Criminal Court Act 1856 was passed to enable his trial to be held at the Old Bailey. The present building dates from 1902 (officially opened on 27 February 1907),
