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Opening Times

  Open all year
Mon 10.30am - 5pm
Tue 10.30am - 5pm
Wed 10.30am - 5pm
Thur CLOSED
Fri 10.30am - 5pm
Sat 10.30am - 5pm
Sun CLOSED

Closed Bank holidays

We suggest you allow at least 1.5 hours for your visit.

Admission Charges

Save money with our Xplorer multi-pass tickets

Adults£ 3.00
Concessions £ 2.00
Accompanied Children FREE

Facilities

  • Free parking for cars and coaches
  • Light refreshments available
  • Gift Shop
  • Limited access for disabled users
  • Visitors with guide dogs welcome
  • Family events and activities
  • Baby changing facilities

Enjoy England.com Quality Assured Visitor AttractionPreston Hands On Gang logo for Museum of Lancashire

Contact the museum

Museum of Lancashire
Stanley Street, Preston, PR1 4YP.
Tel: (+44) 01772 534075
Fax: (+44) 01772 534079

Our venues

Museum of Lancashire

Bringing Lancashire's History to Life

The Museum is housed in the Grade II listed former Preston Quarter Sessions House building. Built between 1825 and 1828 this building replaced the earlier courthouse situated within the neighbouring House of Correction. This building was felt to be too small and so on the 9th September 1824 justices decided to spend £10,000 building a new court house outside of the walls of the prison. The Birmingham company Rickman and Hutchison, were employed to design and build the court house. The building opened in 1828 but was not fully completed until the following year.

Later Years

By the 1880s it was felt that the location of the court house was inappropriate and should be relocated to the town centre. Court sessions continued to be held in the building until the opening of the new sessions house on Lancaster Road in 1900. In 1911 the building became the headquarters of a Territorial Unit of the Royal Artillery until 1958. Between 1958 and 1961 the building was converted to offices for the vehicle taxation department.

The building was taken over by Lancashire County Council and after extensive renovations opened as a museum in 1987.

Explore the museum:

Museum of Lancashire outside

Architecture

Built of Longridge sandstone, this Neo-classical style building typical of courthouses of the time.

Museum of Lancashire medals

Collections

The museum houses the collections of the 14th / 20th King's Hussars, the Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry and part of the collections of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment.

museum of lancashire judges wig

Trials

The court tried criminal cases from the Hundreds of Leyland, Blackburn and Amounderness. Many of the crimes tried in Preston related to theft (often of clothes or food), others being bigamy and assault, the more serious crimes committed were tried at Lancaster Castle.

Museum of Lancashire air-raid shelter

Interior

Prisoners awaiting trial were kept in holding cells in the basement of the building. The main hall was once the main court room, topped by a glass dome.

Schools

Museum of Lancashire school child in Victorian costume

Activities for schools

Information for teachers. Discover the wealth of educational activities available at the Museum of Lancashire.



Museum of Lancashire gallery