THE CITY - London - page 172

OLD BAILEY
Newgate St St Paul's 020 7248 3277, www.cityoflondon.gov.uk .Mon-Fri 10am-1pm &
2-5pm.Free. MAP
The Central Criminal Court is more popularly known as the Old Bailey after the street on
which it stands, which used to form the outer walls of the medieval city. It was built on the
site of the notoriously harsh Newgate Prison, where folk used to come to watch public
hangings. The current, rather pompous Edwardian building is distinguished by its green
dome, surmounted by a gilded statue of Justice, unusually depicted without blindfold, hold-
ing her sword and scales. The country's most serious criminal court cases take place here,
and have included, in the past, the trials of Lord Haw-Haw, the Kray twins, and the Guild-
ford Four and Birmingham Six “IRA bombers”. You can watch the proceedings from the
visitors' gallery, but bags, cameras, mobiles, personal stereos and food and drink are not al-
lowed in, and there is no cloakroom.
SMITHFIELD
Farringdon. MAP
For more than three centuries Smithfield was a popular venue for public executions : the
Scottish hero, William Wallace, was hanged, disembowelled and beheaded here in 1305,
and the Bishop of Rochester's cook was boiled alive in 1531, but the local speciality was
burnings, which reached a peak in the mid-sixteenth century during the reign of “Bloody”
Mary, when hundreds of Protestants were burned at the stake for their beliefs. These days,
Smithfield is dominated by its historic meat market , housed in a colourful and ornate
Victorian market hall on Charterhouse Street; if you want to see it in action, get here early -
the activity starts around 4am and is all over by 9am or 10am.