As with most courts in England and Wales, trials at the Old Bailey are open to the public, although they are subject to stringent security procedures.

[2] The original medieval court is first mentioned in 1585; it was next to the older Newgate Prison, and seems to have grown out of the endowment to improve the gaol and rooms for the sheriffs, made possible by a gift from 15th-century Lord Mayor Richard Whittington.

It was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and rebuilt in 1674, with the court open to the weather to prevent the spread of disease.

[3] The building was re-fronted in 1734, so as to enclose the court and reduce the influence of spectators: this led to outbreaks of typhus, notably in 1750 when 60 people died, including the Lord Mayor and two judges.

The Central Criminal Court Act 1856 was passed to enable his trial, and others with a public profile, to be held at the Old Bailey.

[12] During the Blitz of the Second World War, the Old Bailey was bombed and severely damaged, but reconstruction work restored most of it in the early 1950s.

This hall (underneath the dome) is decorated with paintings commemorating the Blitz, as well as quasi-historical scenes of St Paul's Cathedral with nobles outside.

[8] The hall (and its floor) was decorated with many busts and statues, chiefly of British monarchs, but also of legal figures, and those who achieved renown by campaigning for improvement in prison conditions from 1700 to 1900.

[15] On 7 February 2024, around 1,500 people were forced to evacuate the building following a fire and reports of five separate explosions at the rear of the Central Criminal Court.

[20] The Old Bailey has been mentioned and featured in numerous fictional works including film, video games and literature.

Notable examples include V for Vendetta and its film adaptation, in which the title character demolishes it to gain the public's attention,[21] and Justice League and its director's cut, in which Wonder Woman foils a terrorist bomb plot.

[22] In Agatha Christie's play, Witness for the Prosecution, the murder trial of Leonard Vole is held at the Old Bailey.