The earliest tipstaves date from the late Middle Ages, they generally take the form of a hollow tube about 150mm long. Sometimes made in wood or ivory, the later examples are usually in brass or silver. On top of the tipstaff was the crown of authority. The Tipstaff could be unscrewed and a warrant which conferred police powers or other document placed in side. The warrant could be served simply by tapping the person on the shoulder with the tipstaff. Bow Street Runners normally carried their name and number on a document carried in the tipstaff and after the formation of the Metropolitan Police in 1829 constables continues this practise until the first warrant cards were issued in the 1870’s.

Possibly London’s most famous police station, Bow Street was the site of the first Police Office, and subsequently the premier London magistrates’ court. When the Metropolitan Police was founded in 1829, the two Commissioners placed the station house on the site of number25 and 27. Bow Street Station became the Divisional Station of the original F Division ( Covent Garden).