Why Do We Enclose Old Bailey?

For my expert for a day report I have chosen Old Bailey. This is London’s central criminal court. It is in the western part of London next to Newgate Prison. There is a significant amount of history surrounding this building along with many unknown facts and a tie to the criminal justice system.
The Old Bailey Courthouse was built in 1673 and is still used today. During this time the courthouse was rebuilt several times however, the basic design of the courtrooms remained the same. In the courtroom the accused stood at “the bar” which was directly facing the witness box and the judge was seated at the other side of the room. In, 1666 the medieval courthouse was destroyed in the Great Fire of London and it was not until 1673 when it was rebuilt as a three-story Italianate brick building.
However, in 1737 Old Bailey was remodeled and enclosed. A major factor to enclose Old Bailey was to keep the weather out and limit the influence of spectators. Thirty-seven years later in 1774 George Dance rebuilt the courthouse, putting a semi-circular brick wall in front of it. This wall would be used to secure the prisoners awaiting trial. For the next one hundred and thirty-three years only, minor updates occurred with the upkeeping of the courthouse. King Edward VII ordered for a new building which was finished and opened in 1907. This new building included a “12-foot gold leaf statue of “lady of justice” holding a sword in one hand and the scales of justice in the other and over the main entrance of the building figures were placed representing fortitude, the recording angel, and truth, along with