Sessions House
LocationPreston
Coordinates53°45′35″N 2°41′55″W / 53.7596°N 2.6987°W / 53.7596; -2.6987
OS grid referenceSD 540 294
Built1904
ArchitectHenry Littler
Architectural style(s)Edwardian Baroque
Governing bodyHis Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service
Listed Building – Grade II*
Designated27 September 1979
Reference no.1279796
Sessions House, Preston is located in Preston city centre
Sessions House, Preston
Location within Preston City centre

The Sessions House is a courthouse in Harris Street, Preston, Lancashire, England. The courthouse, which continues to be used for judicial purposes as well as being used as administrative offices for His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service, is a Grade II* listed building.[1]

History

Detail of the balcony and window above the main entrance on Harris Street

The building was commissioned to replace the old Sessions House in Stanley Street which had been built in 1829.[2] After deciding that the old Sessions House was inadequate for their needs, the justices decided to procure a new building: the site selected was some open land opposite the Harris Museum.[3]

The foundation stone for the new building was laid by Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, in a ceremony presided over by Sir J. T. Hibbert, on 2 February 1900.[4] [5] It was designed by the Manchester architect, Henry Littler, in the Edwardian Baroque style, constructed by David Tullis and Sons and opened on 18 June 1904.[5] The cost of the building was estimated at the start of its construction to be £90,000,[4] the equivalent of more than £9m in 2023.[6] The masonry is Longridge stone throughout.[4]

The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of thirteen bays facing Harris Street. The central section featured a round-headed doorway with a balcony above; there was a round-headed window with elaborate detailing on the first floor and oculus on the second floor flanked by huge Ionic order columns which spanned the second and third floors. There was a four-stage tower above, which at 54.7 metres (179.5 ft) high, made the building one of the tallest buildings in Preston.[7]

Cases heard within the sessions house have included the trials and subsequent convictions of Jon Venables and Robert Thompson for the murder of James Bulger in November 1993[8][9] and of Harold Shipman for the murder of 15 patients under his care in January 2000.[10][11]

Internally, there are two courtrooms on the first floor that are used daily by Preston Crown Court together with two smaller courtrooms on the ground floor used by the County Court and the Family Court.[12] The Courts Service Area Director's office for Lancashire and Cumbria is also situated in the building.[13]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Historic England, "Sessions House (1279796)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 27 April 2011
  2. ^ Historic England. "he old Sessions House (1219103)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Ordnance Survey Map". 1892. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "The New Sessions House At Preston". Manchester Guardian. 3 February 1900. p. 10 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b "Preston Guardian Digest 1891-1905". Preston History. 26 January 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Bank of England Inflation Calculator". Bank of England Inflation Calculator. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  7. ^ "Sessions House". Skyscraper News. Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  8. ^ "Open doors at Sessions House". Lancashire Telegraph. 30 August 2001. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  9. ^ "Trial of GP charged with murder of 15 patients adjourned". The Guardian. 6 October 1999. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Inside Preston crown court". The Guardian. 31 January 2000. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Shipman courthouse to open doors for a day". The Telegraph. 1 September 2001. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Preston Crown Court (Sessions House)". Court Finder. Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service. 27 April 2011. Archived from the original on 4 February 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  13. ^ "Regional information – North West Region". Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service. 1 April 2010. Archived from the original on 6 April 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
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