County_Hall,_Preston

County Hall, Preston

County Hall, Preston

County building in Preston, Lancashire, England

County Hall is a municipal building in Fishergate, Preston, Lancashire, England. It is the headquarters of Lancashire County Council.

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History

The war memorial

In July 1877, county leaders identified the need for enlarged accommodation for the county court, which had been based in the Sessions House in Stanley Street, as well as the need for additional offices.[1] They decided to procure a new building and selected a site at Fishergate which had previously been occupied by a row of residential properties.[2]

The new building, which was designed by the Manchester architect, Henry Littler, in the Queen Anne revival style,[3] opened on 14 September 1882.[1][4][5] 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 and shield above: the principal room was the council chamber.[6] The new building incorporated a new headquarters for the Lancashire Constabulary[1] as well as a county records office, formed to preserve important documents.[7]

Following the implementation of the Local Government Act 1888, which established county councils in every county, the building also became the offices and meeting place for Lancashire County Council.[8] 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.[9] A further extension to the north along Pitt Street, with a substantial new structure and entrance, was completed in 1934.[10]

As part of a two-day visit to Lancashire, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth attended a lunch hosted by the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire, Lord Derby, at County Hall before departing for Preston Town Hall in March 1945 during the Second World War.[11]

In 2011, as part of a cost-cutting initiative, several hundred staff were relocated to the County Hall from other locations.[12]

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.[13]

References

  1. [1]
    "Preston Guardian Digest 1876-1890". 9 May 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  2. [2]
    "Ordnance Survey Map". 1849. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  3. [3]
    "The New County Public Offices, Fishergate, Preston - Mr Littler, Architect". Preston Digital Archive. 5 October 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  4. [4]
    Farrer, William; Brownbill, J. (1912). "'Townships: Preston', in A History of the County of Lancaster". London: British History Online. pp. 91–105. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  5. [5]
    "Historic Town Assessment Report: Preston". Lancashire County Council. 1 September 2006. p. 40. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  6. [6]
    "Council Chamber, County Hall, Preston". Lancashire County Council. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  7. [7]
    "Going behind the scenes of Lancashire County Council's 130-year history". Lancashire Post. 7 April 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  8. [8]
    "Local Government Act 1888". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  9. [9]
    "Fishergate Hill Conservation Area Character Appraisal" (PDF). Preston City Council. 1 November 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  10. [10]
    "County Office Extensions, Preston 1930". Preston Digital Archive. 17 October 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  11. [11]
    "Details of a Secret Royal Visit to Preston". Lancashire Post. 6 March 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  12. [12]
    "Lancashire County Council closing offices to save £1 million". BBC. 13 October 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  13. [13]
    "Preston County Offices Staff - WW1". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
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