Today I followed in the footsteps of ‘Lord Haw Haw,’ John Christie, Ruth Ellis and George Blake. No, regardless of what some will have you believe, I have not been convicted of treason, murder or spying; I took one of the unique opportunities the Office of High Sheriff presents.
The High Sheriffs of England and Wales attended a reception at the Old Bailey, London. Completed in 1902, this monumental Grade II listed building was designed to be imposing. With a heavy countenance and a dome mirroring St Paul's Cathedral, its architects certainly achieved that brief.
Within the ‘new’ Old Bailey is the most famous court room in the world - Court Number One. Historically reserved for the more serious and high-profile trials, Court Number One opened its doors in 1907. In the decades that followed, it witnessed the trials of the most famous and infamous defendants of the twentieth century, including those listed above.
Our tour culminated with an incredibly informative, interesting and intriguing visit to the court where a wide assortment of: traitors, lovers, politicians, psychopaths, spies, con men and of course, the innocent have appeared.
Court Number One is not only notorious for its murder trials. It has recorded the changing face of modern British society, bearing witness to alternate attitudes to the death penalty, homosexuality, freedom of expression, insanity and the psychology of violence.
Huge thanks to the City of London Sheriffs, for arranging such an eye-opening and enthralling visit.
Diolch yn fawr, i chi gyd.