Former Charles Street Police Station

FORMER CHARLES STREET POLICE STATION

Police station, Leicester. Built in 1933 by G Noel Hill and AT Gooseman of the Leicester City Architects' Department. Additions and alterations made around 1970 and later in the 20th century are not of special interest.

The building is constructed in Portland stone ashlar and grey brick with ashlar and concrete dressings, beneath flat asphalt roofs. It displays Palladian style architecture. The ground floor is rusticated with a plinth and sill band below an intermediate cornice. The central range features a full entablature with panelled frieze and dentillation, while the side ranges have cornices and a blocking course. Keystone cartouches incorporate the City's cinquefoil badge. Windows are original steel casements with glazing bars; those to the ground floor are round-arched.

The building occupies a corner site with a polygonal layout, comprising a central range and splayed side ranges, each treated as a separate composition. The central range rises three storeys with 4, 2 and 4 windows across its levels. The lower side ranges are two storeys with attics and each has 5 windows.

The central range features a raised centre topped with a swagged frieze and modillion cornice, finished with a flagpole. At its heart is a round-arched recess with rusticated head and cartouche bearing a stylised scroll. Within the recess sits a carriage entrance with original wrought iron gates, a rusticated surround and keystone. Above is a Diocletian window. A balustraded balcony with a French window, moulded surround and bracketed pediment rises above the recess. Flanking the central recess are recessed panelled double doors with overlights, and above these larger square stair lights, all with decorative grilles. The side bays contain ground floor windows with keystones, first floor windows with raised surrounds on a sill band, and plain second floor windows. At each end is a single setback bay.

The right side range, fronting St George Street, has a central recessed doorway with overlight and grille flanked by 2 windows. Above are 5 windows with projecting sills and a cartouche above the centre window. The attic contains 5 blank window openings. The left return has single windows with keystones and a blank attic. The right return is blank with 3 small square lights beneath the cornice.

The left side range, fronting Charles Street, has 7 ground floor windows with windows above arranged 1, 3, 1. The central group features a sham balcony on brackets and a sill band. The attic has 5 blanks. The right return shows single windows with keystones and a blank attic. The left return, fronting Church Street, has 3 windows with a central recessed doorway with overlight and grille flanked by small flat-headed windows, and beyond these, single round-headed windows. Above are 3 windows with projecting sills and a cartouche above the centre window. The attic contains 3 blanks.

Brick rear elevations are plain, with a canted ground floor projection to the right. To the left is a stub wing of two storeys, linked to a rebuilt cell block.

The interior features an open-well principal staircase with a scrolled wrought iron balustrade and ramped hardwood handrail. The stairwell is plain with a round skylight. A rear staircase has a wrought iron stick balustrade and handrail. The Chief Constable's office retains original fittings including half-height framed panelling, 5-panel doors and cornice, together with a plain ashlar fireplace bearing a square clock inset in the overmantel. An adjoining ante room and toilet are in plainer style. The former committee room and major rooms and corridors on each floor have slightly moulded cornices. The former mess room has canted ends. The attics contain a tank room and former recreation rooms.

This is a distinguished example of civic architecture and forms a major architectural element in the inter-war replanning of Leicester, which aimed to divert road traffic away from the historic city centre.