The ‘Old Bailey’ as it’s known (after the street in London in which it stands), is England’s principal criminal court. Completed in 1902, it was designed by Edward William Mountford (1855-1908) – yet another outstanding British architect who is now almost forgotten. Despite dying at only 52, he had already completed not just the Old Bailey but also Sheffield Town Hall, Lancaster Town Hall, Battersea Town Hall and Battersea Central Library in a variety of styles ranging from High French Renaissance in Sheffield to a restrained Beaux Arts in Lancaster.
The Old Bailey is in the English Baroque style which John Belcher popularised and which came to typify the Edwardian age. It was characterised by its particularly bold detailing, sharp rustication and extensive use of architectural sculpture which Belcher had established as a key element of the style in his ground-breaking Institute of Chartered Accountants Hall of 1893. It coincided with establishment of the ‘New Sculpture’ movement with its focus on naturalistic poses and fascination with symbolic and spiritual subjects and there were many contemporary partnerships formed between architects and sculptors who often worked together consistently throughout their careers.
In Mountford’s case he had gained the appointment of sculptor Frederick William Pomeroy (1856-1924) to execute the sculpture on Sheffield Town Hall and the two worked together after that on all of Mountford’s projects until his death. At the Old Bailey Pomeroy provided both the external sculpture and a considerable amount of sculpture within Mountford’s magnificent interiors as well as perhaps his most famous sculpture of Justice which crowns Mountford’s mighty dome.
Their greatest shared achievement however was the decoration of the main entrance (sadly, now rarely used as the more modest entrance to McMorran and Whitby’s late 60’s extension is what usually appears on the news) with its haunting allegorical group by Pomeroy. This is centred on the hooded Recording Angel who consults her scroll on which are listed the names of the guilty, supported on either side by Fortitude and Truth, the attributes required to prove one’s innocence. While verging on the macabre to our twenty first century tastes, it remains a powerful, moving and exquisitely carved gift to the public realm.
My latest book, which covers the work of Mountford and Pomeroy in detail, British Architectural Sculpture 1851-1951, is due to be published in 2023. If you don’t want to miss out on further blogs then please follow me on johngooldstewart.com
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John Stewart 