County Hall, Preston

Last updated

County Hall, Preston
County Offices, Fishergate Hill, Preston (geograph 5111525).jpg
County Hall
Location map United Kingdom Preston central.svg
Red pog.svg
County Hall
Location in Preston city centre
Lancashire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
County Hall
Location in Lancashire
General information
Architectural style Queen Anne revival style
AddressFishergate, Preston, Lancashire
Town or city Preston
CountryEngland
Coordinates 53°45′27″N2°42′33″W / 53.7575°N 2.7091°W / 53.7575; -2.7091
Completed1882;141 years ago (1882)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Henry Littler

County Hall is a municipal building in Fishergate, Preston, Lancashire, England. It is the headquarters of Lancashire County Council.

Contents

History

The war memorial County Hall, Preston 07 - war memorial (cropped).JPG
The war memorial

In July 1877, county leaders identified the need for enlarged accommodation for the county court, which had been based in the Sessions House in Stanley Street, as well as the need for additional offices. [1] They decided to procure a new building and selected a site at Fishergate which had previously been occupied by a row of residential properties. [2]

The new building, which was designed by the Manchester architect, Henry Littler, in the Queen Anne revival style, [3] opened on 14 September 1882. [1] [4] [5] The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage with seven bays facing Fishergate; the right hand section, which slightly projected forwards, featured a doorway with a rectangular fanlight and shield above: the principal room was the council chamber. [6] The new building incorporated a new headquarters for the Lancashire Constabulary [1] as well as a county records office, formed to preserve important documents. [7]

Following the implementation of the Local Government Act 1888, which established county councils in every county, the building also became the offices and meeting place for Lancashire County Council. [8] An extension to the west along Fishergate was completed in 1903: this involved the demolition of a street known as Jordan Street whose residents had included the astronomer Moses Holden. [9] A further extension to the north along Pitt Street, with a substantial new structure and entrance, was completed in 1934. [10]

As part of a two-day visit to Lancashire, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth attended a lunch hosted by the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire, Lord Derby, at County Hall before departing for Preston Town Hall in March 1945 during the Second World War. [11]

In 2011, as part of a cost-cutting initiative, several hundred staff were relocated to the County Hall from other locations. [12]

War memorial

Inside the building is a memorial, unveiled in 1921, to eighteen "members of the county offices staff who gave their lives for King and Country in the Great War", including one woman, Isobel Addey Tate. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glasgow City Chambers</span> Municipal building in Glasgow, Scotland

The City Chambers or Municipal Buildings in Glasgow, Scotland, has functioned as the headquarters of Glasgow City Council since 1996, and of preceding forms of municipal government in the city since 1889. It is located on the eastern side of the city's George Square. It is a Category A listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preston, Lancashire</span> City in Lancashire, England

Preston is a city on the north bank of the River Ribble in Lancashire, England. The city is the administrative centre of the county of Lancashire and the wider City of Preston local government district. Preston and its surrounding district obtained city status in 2002, becoming England's 50th city in the 50th year of Queen Elizabeth II's reign. Preston has a population of 114,300, the City of Preston district 132,000 and the Preston Built-up Area 313,322. The Preston Travel To Work Area, in 2011, had a population of 420,661, compared with 354,000 in the previous census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preston railway station</span> Grade II listed railway station in Preston, England

Preston railway station in Preston, Lancashire, England, is an interchange railway station on the West Coast Main Line, half-way between London Euston and Glasgow Central. It is served by Avanti West Coast, Northern Trains and TransPennine Express services, plus Caledonian Sleeper overnight services between London and Scotland. It is also served by the Calder Valley line to Leeds and York, and by branch lines to Blackpool, Ormskirk, and Colne.

A county hall or shire hall is a common name given to a building that houses the seat of local government for a county.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preston bus station</span> Bus station in Preston, Lancashire, England

Preston bus station is the central bus station in the city of Preston in Lancashire, England. It was built by Ove Arup and Partners in the Brutalist architectural style between 1968 and 1969, to a design by Keith Ingham and Charles Wilson of Building Design Partnership with E. H. Stazicker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glamorgan Building</span> County building in Cardiff, Wales

The Glamorgan Building is a former county hall located at King Edward VII Avenue in Cathays Park, Cardiff, Wales. It was the headquarters of Glamorgan County Council from 1912 to 1974 and then of Mid Glamorgan County Council from 1974 to 1996. The building, which was acquired by Cardiff University in 1997 and is now home to the university's School of Social Sciences and the School of Geography and Planning, is a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preston park and ride</span>

Preston park and ride is a park-and-ride scheme in the city of Preston in Lancashire, England, operated by both Rotala subsidiary Preston Bus and Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St George's Shopping Centre (Preston)</span> Shopping mall in Lancashire, England

St George's Shopping Centre, formerly The Mall Preston and The Mall St George, is a shopping centre in the city of Preston, Lancashire, England.

James Hibbert was an English architect who practised in Preston, Lancashire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gloucester Shire Hall</span> County building in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England

Gloucester Shire Hall is a municipal building in Westgate Street, Gloucester. The shire hall, which is the main office and the meeting place of Gloucestershire County Council, is a grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Hall, Chelmsford</span> County building in Chelmsford, Essex, England

Essex County Hall is a municipal building in Market Road, Chelmsford, Essex: it is the headquarters of Essex County Council. Blocks C and D are Grade II listed buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aylesbury Crown Court</span> County building in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England

Aylesbury Crown Court, also known as Old County Hall, is a former judicial facility and municipal building in Market Square, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, completed in 1740. The building served as the meeting place of Buckinghamshire County Council from 1889 until 2012, and was used as a court until 2018. It is a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Buildings, Stafford</span> County building in Staffordshire, England

County Buildings is a municipal facility at Martin Street in Stafford, Staffordshire. The building, which is the meeting place for Staffordshire County Council, is a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Hall, Northampton</span> County building in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England

The County Hall is a municipal facility on George Row in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England, which was the headquarters of Northamptonshire County Council until it was dissolved in 2021. It is a Grade II* listed building. The building is adjacent to the former Sessions House which is now used as a Tourist Information Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Hall, Oxford</span> County building in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England

County Hall is a municipal building on New Road in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England. County Hall, which is the headquarters of Oxfordshire County Council, is a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shirehall, Shrewsbury</span> County building in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England

Shirehall is a municipal facility in Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, Shropshire. The building, which is the headquarters of Shropshire Council, is just north of Lord Hill's Column.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Hall, Mold</span> County building in Mold, Wales

County Hall is a municipal facility at Raikes Lane in Mold, Flintshire. It was the headquarters of the old Flintshire County Council from 1967 to 1974, the headquarters of Clwyd County Council from 1974 to 1996 and has been the headquarters of the new Flintshire County Council since 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Hall, Llandrindod Wells</span> County building in Llandrindod Wells, Wales

County Hall is a municipal building in Llandrindod Wells, Wales. It is the headquarters of Powys County Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chorley Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Chorley, Lancashire, England

Chorley Town Hall is a municipal building in Market Street in Chorley, Lancashire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preston Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Preston, Lancashire, England

Preston Town Hall is a municipal building in Lancaster Road in Preston, Lancashire, England. The town hall, which is the headquarters of Preston City Council, is a Grade II listed building.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Preston Guardian Digest 1876-1890". 9 May 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  2. "Ordnance Survey Map". 1849. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  3. "The New County Public Offices, Fishergate, Preston - Mr Littler, Architect". Preston Digital Archive. 5 October 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  4. Farrer, William; Brownbill, J. (1912). "'Townships: Preston', in A History of the County of Lancaster". London: British History Online. pp. 91–105. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  5. "Historic Town Assessment Report: Preston". Lancashire County Council. 1 September 2006. p. 40. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  6. "Council Chamber, County Hall, Preston". Lancashire County Council. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  7. "Going behind the scenes of Lancashire County Council's 130-year history". Lancashire Post. 7 April 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  8. "Local Government Act 1888". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  9. "Fishergate Hill Conservation Area Character Appraisal" (PDF). Preston City Council. 1 November 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  10. "County Office Extensions, Preston 1930". Preston Digital Archive. 17 October 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  11. "Details of a Secret Royal Visit to Preston". Lancashire Post. 6 March 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  12. "Lancashire County Council closing offices to save £1 million". BBC. 13 October 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  13. "Preston County Offices Staff - WW1". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 6 June 2020.