The Barracks, White Cross

The Barracks at White Cross is a former militia armoury and store, built in 1854 and converted around 1983 for use as offices. It is reputedly designed by Edmund Sharpe for the First Royal Lancashire Militia. The building is constructed from squared coursed sandstone with rock-faced quoins and features slate roofs in a Scottish Baronial style, with an H-shaped plan.

The exterior consists of two storeys with a five-bay recessed centre under a parapet supported by a corbel-table. The cross-wings are two storeys plus an attic, featuring two bays under crow-stepped gables adorned with central finials and corbelled corner turrets topped with conical stone roofs and finials. The windows are mullioned, each with a single transom, predominantly consisting of two lights, except for the second and fourth bays of the recessed centre, which have three-light windows. All windows have casements with glazing bars, and the upper lights on the first floor have heads with shouldered arches. The cross-wings include two-light attic windows. The central doorway is casement-moulded, featuring a depressed two-centred arched head with rusticated voussoirs and a carved keystone. The chimneys are topped with corbelled cappings.

Historically, the building was constructed following the Militia Reform Act of 1852, which mandated secure quarters for the new militia regiment. The regiment relocated to Bowerham Barracks in 1881, after which the building was acquired by Storey Brothers for their adjoining White Cross works. After the closure of the works, it was purchased by Lancashire Enterprises Limited in 1983 and converted into office suites. While it is reputed to be designed by Edmund Sharpe, this would have occurred after he had transferred control of his architectural practice to E.G. Paley.