Central Police Station And Court House

BLACKBURN NORTHGATE SD6828SW 796- /4/10023 (west side) Central Police Station and Court House GV II Police Station and Court House. 1912, by Briggs, Wolstenholme and Thornley. Sandstone ashlar, slate roofs. Large rectangular plan on corner site at junction with Duke Street, with Police Station to rear and beneath Court House, and a screen wall at the south end linked to King George's Hall. Classical style. Central block 3 storeys, side range 2 storeys with attics, all over rustic basement storey, 1:3:1:5:1:3:1 bays, symmetrical except for fenestration of side wings and additional screen wall to left; with channelled rustication to basement storey. In the 7-bay centre block the outer bays containing the main entrances break forward slightly and have chanelled rustication to full height, while the 5-bay centre has a giant colonnade of engaged Ionic columns, an entablature with plain frieze and prominent mutuled cornice carried round the whole, with a banded parapet to the centre and emblematic seated figures over the outer bays. Each outer bay has a giant round-headed archway with splayed reveal and run-out voussoirs containing a distyle Tuscan porch with moulded cornice; a tall window with metal balcony and pedimented architrave, and a bulls-eye window with enriched surround including a scrolled keyblock. The 5 centre bays have square windows in the rustic, corniced windows to the two main floors and square windows above these (all apparently with altered glazing). The lower side ranges have banded pilasters to the corner bays, each has a round-headed doorway, window architraves with aprons and key-blocks (the fenestration of the range to the left less regular than that to the right), a niche at 1st floor of the corner bay, dentilled cornice carried round, and a panelled parapet (higher over the corners). Full-height screen wall to the left in similar style, with round-headed archway. Large 2-storey range to rear, with it-window frontage to Duke Street in similar but compatible style. INTERIOR: axial public corridor with marble-faced pilasters, egg-and-dart cornices, barrel-vaulted ceiling with 4 circular skylights; vestibule to Court No. 1 and Court No. 2 off rear of centre of this; both these courts retaining all original panelled oak furnishings and fittings including balcony (Court No. 1 also has curved former Grand Jury balcony in side wall), coved sky-lighted ceilings, stained glass windows (including one lettered Mercy facing Bench and another lettered Justice facing prisoners dock); both prisoners' docks have staircases down to police station beneath, and that in Court No. 2 has remains of original speaking tube for policeman in attendance. Courts 3 and 4 on upper floors to rear.

Listing NGR: SD6804028272