Sessions House
Sessions House, Lancaster Road, Preston, PR1 2PD
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1279796
- Date first listed:
- 27-Sept-1979
- List Entry Name:
- Sessions House
- Statutory Address:
- Sessions House, Lancaster Road, Preston, PR1 2PD
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2007-11-06
- Reference:
- IOE01/16961/04
- Rights:
- © Lorna Freeman. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1279796
- Date first listed:
- 27-Sept-1979
- Date of most recent amendment:
- 20-Dec-1991
- List Entry Name:
- Sessions House
- Statutory Address 1:
- Sessions House, Lancaster Road, Preston, PR1 2PD
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- Sessions House, Lancaster Road, Preston, PR1 2PD
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Lancashire
- District:
- Preston (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- SD 54045 29476
Details
SD5429SW
941-1/12/176
PRESTON
LANCASTER ROAD (West side)
Sessions House
(Formerly Listed as: LANCASTER ROAD (West side) Crown Court and Sessions House)
27/09/79
GV
II*
Court house. 1900-3, by Henry Littler. Large rectangular block on site bounded by Harris Street to the south and Lancaster Road and Birley Street to east and west respectively. Sandstone ashlar (roof concealed). Edwardian Baroque style.
Three high storeys over basement, symmetrical on all three sides, the principal facade to Harris Street 1:5:1:5:1 windows, the centre and end bays breaking forwards, with a plinth, the ground floor treated as a rustic, coupled giant Ionic columns to the centre and the outer bays, moulded frieze, modillioned cornice, pediments to the outer bays and an open-segmental pediment to the centre, a balustraded parapet as high as the pediments, and a tower over the centre.
The centre has a porch with blocked columns, a round-headed concave doorway with convex balcony over; above this a round-headed window with elaborate including figures on the pediment, then an oculus framed by swags; an embellished shield in the pediment; and a tall Baroque tower of four diminishing and successively set back stages, the three upper stages with free-standing Ionic columns and much enrichment. The rustic ground floor has wide semi-circular headed tripartite sashes, with blocked surrounds and voussoirs; the first floor and second floors have 24- and 12-pane sashes respectively, all with moulded architraves and those at first floor with cornices; and the outer bays have convex balconies to tall round-headed windows with enriched open pediments, and segmental-headed windows above. Hipped roof with enriched chimney stacks. The east and west facades, 1:3:1 windows, have centres recessed above the rustic, with four Ionic semi-columns and windows like those at the front, and outer bays with pedimented architraves to the windows; the east side has two round-headed doorways in the rustic, and the west side has a segmental-headed archway to the left.
INTERIOR: rich decoration including two principal courtrooms with pilastered panelling, panelled library with swags etc., panelled former dining room with fine architraves to doors, and magistrates' cloakroom furnished in Purbeck marble.
Listing NGR: SD5404529476
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 392061
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 30-Jun-2026 at 13:27:24.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.