Old Bailey – Courting Danger

London’s Best Office Spaces – The Links Between London’s Past and the Modern World

An extraordinary building on Old Bailey sits opposite ‘The Old Bailey’ just steps from the magnificent St Paul’s Cathedral – possibly London’s most iconic historical landmarks. ‘The Old Bailey’, today, is the common term for the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, which is the most famous criminal court in the land and is named after the street that it dominates. The Old Bailey sits just outside the former western wall of the City of London, and the street it is named after follows the line of the original fortified wall, or ‘Bailey’, of the City. The strategic position between the City of London and the City of Westminster meant the historic court was a suitable location for trials involving people from all over London - north of the Thames, at least. The court that was held in this part of London has roots that date back to the 16th Century and the original medieval court was first mentioned in 1585 – this was destroyed by the Great Fire of London in 1666 and was rebuilt in 1674. In 1734, it was rebuilt again in order to enclose the court and make sessions no longer open to the public – this was to reduce the influence of spectators. The adverse effect of this was that it led to an epidemic of typhus that was started within the property – a property that was also home to a squalid jail. It was rebuilt again in 1774 in an attempt to improve conditions and to reduce the outbreak and transmission of disease throughout the London population. It had been documented that over 100,000 criminal trials were carried out at the Old Bailey between 1674 and 1834. It was renamed the Central Criminal Court in 1834, yet, in 2020, is still referred to as the Old Bailey. The distinctive property at No.15 Old Bailey sits opposite the court and became Grade II* listed in 1998 meaning that it is listed as particularly important building of more than special interest, and is part of a prominent group of properties together with the Central Criminal Court and other commercial properties on Old Bailey. Today, the property provides office space for modern businesses in this popular commercial district of London. Today, this area of Central London is referred to as Midtown – a name that was first used in the mid-2000 and constitutes Bloomsbury, Holborn and St Giles. This area of central London is still synonymous with law, but also high finance and is also referred to as London’s seat of learning due to the educational institutions within it. Within this historical building, there are now over 60 private offices that host a range of 21st-century businesses. The conversion of this property allows businesses of the modern world to experience an important part of London’s judicial and architectural history, but the property also, and this feels poignant in 2020, serves as a reminder of London’s medical history, too.