County Hall, Preston

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. 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 and shield above:…