County Hall is a municipal building in Fishergate, Preston,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, England. It is the headquarters of

Lancashire County Council Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashire is smaller than the ceremonial county, which additionally includes Blackburn with Dar ...

History

In July 1877, county leaders identified the need for enlarged accommodation for the county court, which had been based in the

Sessions House A sessions house in the United Kingdom was historically a courthouse that served as a dedicated court of quarter sessions, where criminal trials were held four times a year on quarter days. Sessions houses were also used for other purposes to do w ...

in Stanley Street, as well as the need for additional offices. They decided to procure a new building and selected a site at Fishergate which had previously been occupied by a row of residential properties. The new building, which was designed by the Manchester architect, Henry Littler, in the Queen Anne revival style, opened on 14 September 1882. The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage with seven bays facing Fishergate; the right hand section, which slightly projected forwards, featured a doorway with a rectangular

fanlight A fanlight is a form of lunette window (transom window), often semicircular or semi-elliptical in shape, with glazing (window), glazing bars or tracery sets radiating out like an open Hand fan, fan. It is placed over another window or a doorway, ...

and shield above: the principal room was the council chamber. The new building incorporated a new headquarters for the

Lancashire Constabulary Lancashire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Lancashire in North West England. The force's headquarters are at Hutton, Lancashire, Hutton, near the cit ...

as well as a county records office, formed to preserve important documents. Following the implementation of the

Local Government Act 1888 The Local Government Act 1888 (51 & 52 Vict. c. 41) was an Act of Parliament (United Kingdom), act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which established county councils and county borough councils in England and Wales. It came into effect ...

, which established county councils in every county, the building also became the offices and meeting place for

. An extension to the west along Fishergate was completed in 1903: this involved the demolition of a street known as Jordan Street whose residents had included the astronomer Moses Holden. A further extension to the north along Pitt Street, with a substantial new structure and entrance, was completed in 1934. As part of a two-day visit to Lancashire,

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...

and Queen Elizabeth attended a lunch hosted by the

Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire. The Lord Lieutenant is the King's personal representative in each county of the United Kingdom. Historically the Lord Lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's ...

, Lord Derby, at County Hall before departing for

Preston Town Hall Preston Town Hall is a municipal building in Lancaster Road in Preston, Lancashire, England. The town hall, which is the headquarters of Preston City Council, is a Grade II listed building. First and second town halls The first town hall was a ...

in March 1945 during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 2011, as part of a cost-cutting initiative, several hundred staff were relocated to the County Hall from other locations.

War memorial

Inside the building is a memorial, unveiled in 1921, to eighteen "members of the county offices staff who gave their lives for King and Country in the Great War", including one woman, Isobel Addey Tate.

References

{{City of Preston buildings Buildings and structures in Preston P Government buildings completed in 1882