Magistrates' Court

As plans developed for the third wave new town of Central Lancashire, the County Council and local government set about making provisions for such expansion. CLNT would join together Chorley, Leyland and Preston in a polynucleic linear ‘supercity’ and be home to 500,000 citizens. The magistrates’ court was one part of growing services across the county and was built to designs by the County Architect’s Department under Roger Booth. It was developed from a similar building at Chorley that was completed in 1968. The use of pyramidal rooflights was common to many buildings in the department. The largely glazed south façade is accessed by a prominent flight of steps and the court rooms themselves sit above a robust podium level faced in textured concrete bricks and housing the holding cells. Planned as part of highway improvements to the town and adjoined by a branch library also by the Department.