Former Preston Conservative Club

PRESTON

SD5329SE GUILDHALL STREET 941-1/11/161 (East side) 27/09/79 Former Preston Conservative Club (Formerly Listed as: GUILDHALL STREET Guildhall House)

II

Conservative club. 1877-78, by Garlick, Park & Sykes; altered. Red brick in Flemish bond, with sandstone dressings, some applied half-timbering and pargetting, slate roof. Rectangular plan formed by front range parallel to street with full-width back extension. Free neo-Elizabethan style. Three storeys over cellars, 3 unequal gabled bays (the centre narrower), symmetrical. The facade is dominated by the wider outer bays, which are in the form of giant 4-centred arches rising into the gables, with stepped chamfer above ground floor, and by a very emphatic entrance in the centre. The entrance bay has a large chamfered and moulded segmental-pointed archway with a hoodmould, a deeply recessed doorway up steps, and a stone arcaded balcony above, on large coupled brackets; above this, a recessed mullion-and-transom window under pargetted coving, and at 2nd floor a similar window rising into a gablet with projecting verges. The outer bays have full-width mullion-and-transom windows on each floor, all with 2 transoms, those at ground floor recessed under pargetted coving, and those at 1st floor canted oriels with pentice roofs. All these windows have leaded stained glass in the upper lights. Basement areas protected by cast-iron twisted railings with fleur-de-lys heads, including 2 lamp-standards at corners of entrance; foundation stone at right-hand end ofbasement, laid by Edward Hermon MP (proprietor of Horrocks, Crewdson & Co, cotton manufacturers). History: established by traditional leaders of Conservatism in the town in defensive response to growth of Conservative Working Mens clubs. See also Central Conservative Club, Church Street.

Listing NGR: SD5394329208