Old Bailey

Meaning

Proper Noun

• a street in the City between Holborn circus and St Paul's Cathedral
• the Central Criminal Court in this street
• The English legal system

Origin

• Originally "The Bailey", a street running outside the western wall of medieval London; from the word "bailey," a Middle English term for the outermost wall or court of a fortification. The courthouse built nearby in the 16th century, alongside old Newgate Prison, took its name from the street.