Policemen outside Bow Street magistrates court
© AFP/File Carl De SouzaLONDON (AFP) - Dating back to 1739, with the current building opened in 1881, it has seen the likes of womaniser Giacomo Casanova, writer Oscar Wilde and politician Lord Jeffrey Archer appear in its "dock", or defendants' box.
Augusto Pinochet, the former Chilean dictator, almost appeared in 1999 for his extraditon hearing, but was excused due to ill health.
In its early years, the court in the Covent Garden district was also associated with the Bow Street Runners -- the world's first modern professional police force, and forerunner of today's Metropolitan Police.
Criminal cases in England begin in magistrates courts, with more serious cases passed on to crown courts to be handled in front of a judge and jury.
Bow Street was special, however, because of its location and its supplementary role as venue for major extradition hearings and as court of first appearance for accused terrorists.
Property developer Edward Holdings, who has bought the courthouse and its adjoining police station, which closed 13 years ago, has promised a "sympathetic" redevelopment that includes a museum space.
But judge Timothy Workman, who has presided over many Bow Street cases in recent years, lamented the closure, saying: "Unfortunately there is no value to be placed on history and heritage."
©AFP