Old Bailey hauntings: Victorian baby killer, ghostly barrister and spectral cat
A phantasmal woman seen lurking outside a jury room is believed by some to be that of nurse Amelia Dyer, dubbed the Ogress of Reading.
The ghostly figure of a Victorian murderess is among the spectres believed to wander the halls of the Old Bailey.
Nurse Amelia Dyer was aged 58 when she was hanged at the Newgate Prison on June 10 1896 after confessing to killing babies following an Old Bailey trial.
It is just one of a series of spooky occurrences reported by staff at the Grade II listed building.
Workers have even reported seeing the apparition of a cat stalking the building at night.
He told the PA news agency: “I was scrambling for the lights. Before I switched it on, someone mentioned my name and I carefully retired, turned my back, slowly moved out and ran to the lift.
“I heard something and I’m sure it was my name, it was very clear. I don’t think I was hallucinating. I experienced that in April. I cannot definitely say it did happen, but I heard something.”
The oldest working courtrooms were built on top of part of the City of London’s Roman Wall and what was once Newgate Prison in the Victorian era.
According to popular folklore, a ghostly “black dog” had prowled the Newgate cells seeking vengeance on prisoners.
Charles Dickens wrote about public hangings outside the building and even used it as the setting for a short story featuring a ghostly 13th juror.
Dickens observed that the “huge gates and gratings” were “sufficient to dispel at once the slightest hope of escape that any newcomer may have entertained”.
Other clues to the building’s past life include a warder’s safe dated 1903, complete with a set of chunky keys.
The gruesome spectacle of public hangings which Dickens wrote about was brought to an end when capital punishment moved inside Newgate and out of sight.
The enclosed courtyard features a set of narrowing archways leading to a dead end – and the waiting gallows.
Any defendants considering a break for freedom will be disappointed as it has long since been blocked off.
There is however an old access hatch in a basement to the River Fleet, which runs beneath the building and is often blamed for bad odours in the summer.
The Old Bailey complete with Grand Hall and whispering gallery was built five years after the last person was hanged on the old Newgate site in 1902.
Designed by Worcestershire-born architect Edward Mountford, the Old Bailey was formally opened by King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in 1907.
Off the Grand Hall is Court One, where the likes of notorious poisoner Dr Crippen, and Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in England, were tried.
The Martyr King’s execution in 1649 is remembered today as barristers still don traditional black mourning gowns.
In a more discreet corner of the Old Bailey is a plaque to commemorate a group of rebellious jurors.
In 1670, they refused to convict Quaker preachers William Mead and William Penn despite being locked up without food for two days.
Penn was later gifted Pennsylvania in the United States by Charles II where he founded a refuge for Quakers and other religious minorities.
The most famous image of the Old Bailey is FW Pomeroy’s Lady Justice, which was erected on the top of a dome in 1906.
It has withstood two bombings, firstly during the Blitz of the Second World War and then again when the Old Bailey was attacked by the IRA.
Despite its somewhat ghoulish history, the Old Bailey has maintained its status as the highest criminal court in England and Wales with 18 working courtrooms, including some in a more modern extension.
Members of the public can book Saturday tours of the Old Bailey via https://www.eventbrite.com/e/guided-tour-of-the-old-bailey-tickets-954848075297 or for group bookings via cccevents@cityoflondon.gov.uk.
