Princes Buildings Preston, England

Text courtesy of Historic England. © Crown Copyright, reprinted under the Open Government License.

PRESTON

SD5429NW LANCASTER ROAD 941-1/10/172 (East side) 22/01/90 Nos.50-58 (Even) Princes Buildings

II

Terrace of 5 shops with dwellings over (Nos. 50 and 52 now in one, and No.56 subdivided to make 2 shops). c.1860, altered. Brown brick in stretcher bond, mostly stuccoed, with sandstone dressings and slate roof. Shallow double-depth plan with back extensions. Classical style. Three storeys with cellars and attics; 1+3+1+3+3 bays (in a composition which implies an originally symmetrical design centred on No.56 but not fully executed), with giant pilastrading to the upper floors of the 3-bay units, a deep frieze and prominent dentilled cornice with blocking course which break back slightly over the 1-bay units. At ground floor Nos.50 to 56 have double-fronted shops with recessed doorways flanked by plate-glass windows with shafts which have stiff-leaf caps, and large segmental overlights (those at Nos.50 to 54 now covered externally by modern fascia boarding; and the shop front of No.58 remodelled). At 1st and 2nd floors the 6 bays of Nos.50 and 52 and the 3 bays of No.56, breaking forwards slightly and stuccoed, have giant pilasters, interrupted string courses, and 4-pane sashed windows (these features carried round the right-hand return of No.50); Nos.54 and 58, each of one wide bay, have tripartite sashed windows on both floors, those at 1st floor with pedimented tetrastyle architraves which have large foliated consoles, and those above with shouldered stucco surrounds. Nos 50 and 58 have small gableted dormers, Nos.52 to 56 have low flat-roofed 12-light dormers; all have large multiple-flue chimney stacks with moulded stone cornices. The right-hand return wall of No.50, five bays, the upper floors matching the front, has in the centre of the ground floor a doorway with banded surround, panelled door with small dentilled upstand on the lintel, and square overlight with diagonal glazing bars; to right of this, a cornice with consoles beneath the pilasters of the upper floors (suggesting that front formerly had similar feature). Rear: 2-storey extensions, mostly of shallow lean-to form; apparently unaltered windows, mostly 12-pane sashes with crown glass panes. INTERIOR: No.56 has a dog-legged staircase from ground floor to attic, with stick balusters and wreathed handrail; on the upper floors almost intact domestic accomodation including 1st-floor drawing room (now showroom) which has pilasters with entablature, deep moulded plaster ceiling cornice, and elliptical-arched alcove with moulded surround; room above this with similar alcove containing built-in cupboard, and fireplcae with panelled surround; various other original fireplaces. Upper floors of other shops retain similar features in whole or part. With No.60 (Golden Cross Hotel) attached at north end, forms block having strong group value with Town Hall (q.v.) and Amounderness House (q.v.) opposite, and visual similarity to Nos.12 to 24 to the south.

Listing NGR: SD5408329520