Blackburn Police Courts and Fire Station (Architectural Competition)

BLACKBURN. —The following architects have been selected from those who applied to send in competitive plans for the police-courts and fire- station, etc., to be erected at Blackburn: —Messrs Henry T. Hare, London; J. G. Gibson, London: Woodhouse and Willoughby, Manchester; James Green, Blackburn; Cheers and Smith, Twickenham ; Briggs and Wolstenholme, and Stones and Stones, Blackburn. Each competitor is to be paid a fee of seventy-five guineas for the drawings submitted. The assessor is Mr. Albert N. Bromley, F.R.I.B.A., Prudential Buildings, Nottingham [Building News 24 August 1900 page 247]

Messrs. Cheers & Smith (No. 2) submit a design in Mr. Cheers’s usual type of German Renaissance—somewhat too exuberant, but undoubtedly effective. The court house, which (with the police department) forms a detached building in the left-hand half of the principal frontage, has a central raised portion with high-pitched roof surmounted by a clock turret, and has low domed towers at the ends and picturesque gables between. The principal entrance to the courts is in the centre of the group, and is approached by right and left external flights of twenty-four steps. It opens into a hall 48 ft. by 21 ft. 6 in., from which the two courts, summons office, and other rooms are entered. Separate external entrances are provided for access to the galleries of the courts, but the position of the courts on the first floor necessitates a great number of steps for access to the galleries. The magistrates’, clerk’s, and other rooms are to the left and back of the courts, while the police department is principally on the ground floor, an entrance being provided under the principal entrance. The fire station is in the right-hand portion of the frontage, with the hose-tower and fire-escape shelter to the left of the engine-room, and the superintendent’s house in the right-hand corner of the site. The stables are at the back of the engine-room, opening, of course, directly into it at the head of each stall, and are well lighted from the back. The firemen’s cottages are all arranged along Duke-street, and are conveniently planned. The corridors of the police department are inadequately lighted, and there is no airing yard for the prisoners; but the design as a whole is a good one, both as regards plan and elevations.

BLACKBURN - The assessor in the limited competition for the new police-courts and fire-station at Blackburn has made his award, which has been accepted by the corporation, the authors of the accepted design being Messrs. Briggs and Wolstenholme and Messrs Stones and Stones, of Blackburn, acting conjointly. Mr. A. N. Bromley, of Nottingham, was the referee. The other competitors were Mr. Henry T. Hare, London; Mr. J. Glenn'Gibson, London; Messrs. Woodhouse and Willoughby, Manchester; Messrs. Cheers and Smith, Twickenham; and Messrs Sames and Green, of Blackburn. The plans are on view till to-morrow, when the exhibition in the town-hall, Blackburn, will close. [Building News 14 December 1900 page 840]