Nurses' Home

The Nurses' Home is a building that was originally a railway station and railway company offices, constructed in 1840 and altered in the 20th century. It was designed by Edwin Gwyther of Birmingham. The structure is made of sandstone ashlar with ashlar dressings and has a slate hipped roof. It features a double-depth plan with rear extensions and stands two storeys tall with five bays beneath an eaves cornice. A pediment crowns the slightly projecting central bay. The central porch is glazed and supported by coupled Ionic columns that hold up a plain entablature. All windows are fitted with moulded architraves and 12-pane sashes, with those on the ground floor featuring cornices supported by scrolled brackets.

Inside, the building is reputed to contain visible remains of entrances to platforms. Historically, it was built as the Penny Street terminus of the Lancaster and Preston Junction Railway. In 1846, the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway Company opened a new station on a through line near the Castle, taking over the operation of the line to Preston in 1849 and closing the Penny Street station to passenger traffic.