The Old Bailey !

[mmitch]

About 20 years ago I was making daily deliveries to the City. I would often come across the 'mobile cell block' prison vans trying to turn  in from Newgate st.  Giving way to them usually involved another unseen one backing out first. It did seem so outdated with no police help. Then terrorism came back.....
mmitch.

[castle261]

Earlier, I have been to hear two lesser cases at the `Bailey`. The first one concerned a youth,
who threatened a little old lady, out of thousands of pounds, by saying he was going to kill
her little dog, if she did not give him the money. I came out before the case concluded.

The second one escapes me, at the moment, memory. when it does I will report it here.
Only a part has come back to me, it involved being searched, even inside my hat, for a weapon.
It was when the I.R.A. were active.

These court cases were up the side street, then up the stairs to the gallery.

[castle261]

Another time, I walked in through the front door, turned right saw the airport type of security gate.
then`empty your pockets in this tray. I walked through, all clear then he said `where are you going
` Any court, I dont mind `. `you cant come in, go through and out `. I picked up my keys and coins,
then walked through the Old Bailey, to find a way out. I past a room with the door open, all sorts of
coats were hanging on pegs. I could have had a field day, going through all the pockets, as no one
escorted me out. I found me way out, but I could have walked around, as I saw --------- nobody.

[MartinR]

Err, that should be https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2341560/Behind-locked-doors-Old-Bailey-Exclusive-pictures-reveal-363-year-old-dead-mans-walk-Britains-evil-killers-led-gallows.html

[Longpockets]

I was taken, with others, on a private tour of the old bailey. It was so interesting as we were taken to places that only prisoners and staff normally went to. We started off in No.1 Court where our guide explained who sat where on the bench as there are many different chairs and they are used by whoever is hearing the case and based on their seniority that would determine which chair they sat on. He then explained who sat were in the rest of the court room. I was in awe as I thought of all the people that had been tried in this court over many years. Some quite nasty individuals.


We exited the court room via the dock, down the stairs, which normally only the prisoner and prison officers would use, to the corridors which contained the cells. Along the corridor to where the prisoners arrived from various prison to appear. It was cavernous. The prison vans would arrive their from the entrance in Newgate Street and would by means of the ramp down to arrive at this point to discharge the unfortunates. There was a turntable which would turn the vans around so they were ready to collect their cargo later in the day. We were then taken to see Hangman's Walk, there is a very good account of it here, we were told that each arch the condemned walked through was slightly smaller than the one before https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2341560/Behind-locked-doors-Old-Bailey-Exclusive-pictures-reveal-363-year-old-dead-mans-walk-Britains-evil-killers-led-gallows.html This would ensure if the condemned treid to make a run for it his path was blocked by the officers behind him. I think you will probably make this out in the link as the last arch is just about wide enough for one person to pass through.


Our tour concluded by being escorted through the judges dinning room and the internal areas of the Bailey that are normal able to be viewed by the public. I think there is Newgate's knocker there and one of the doors to Newgate Goal. There are many stories associated with building as well.


One point, the extension to the old bailey was constructed by G E Wallis & Sons Ltd. who undertook the stonework and the joinery at their works in Hart Street Maidstone.


Amendment to post 14.10.2019 Thanks MartinR I have corrected the link in the text.

[castle261]