The Old Sessions House

PRESTON

SD5429 STANLEY STREET 941-1/7/270 (East side) 27/09/79 The Old Sessions House (Formerly Listed as: STANLEY STREET The Court House)

GV II

Court house, now County Museum. 1825, by Thomas Rickman, altered. Sandstone ashlar, with brick rear wall, roof mostly concealed but has large glazed lantern. Rectangular plan with porch projecting to front and bow to rear. Classical style. Two storeys, with plinth, panelled pilasters, cornice and blocking course. The south front is tripartite, symmetrical, the centre wider and breaking forwards; this has a monumental square porch which has a round-headed archway with impost-bands and keyed moulded head, and a cornice and blocking course, an arcade of small round-headed windows above the porch, and a parapet with corniced upstands to the corners. The set-back 2-window side ranges both formerly had square 6-pane sashes at ground floor and tall 12-pane sashes above, but the ground floor to the right has been replaced by a C20 corridor. Roof with large glazed lantern in centre (replacing dome). The west front, a symmetrical 3-bay 5-window facade, has matching windows (2:1:2) except those at ground floor to the right which are slightly larger and 9-paned, and a central porch with unfluted Greek Doric columns distyle in antis. Additions to east end; rear wall projects into prison yard. INTERIOR: large central courtroom hall (details concealed at time of survey). Forms group with Prison (q.v.) and Prison Annexe (q.v.).

Listing NGR: SD5473429660