Building record MLI94250 - Sessions House, Spalding

Summary

The Sessions House at Spalding was erected in 1842-3.

Type and Period (1)

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Full Description

The Sessions House is a Grade II Listed Building, built in 1843 by Charles Kirk. It is a massive stone structure in the form of a castle. There are two crenellated side towers, and a recessed centre of two storeys with three bays divided by buttresses. In the centre are heraldic beast finials. There are three windows between the buttresses with 'Perpendicular' tracery and a central four-centred doorway. For the full description and the legal address of this listed building please refer to the appropriate List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. {1} Construction of the Sessions House began in 1842, and was completed by 1843. The building was designed by Charles Kirk and erected at a cost of £6,000. It was opened on the 30th June 1843. {2}{3} Photographs of the Sessions House were taken during a site visit in December 1999. The views are primarily centred upon the roof, and were taken to inform the proposed installation of a new flag pole. {4} An appraisal of the former Sessions House was completed in September 2016, after a site visit was conducted to assess the impact of proposed alterations and conversion works. The building was designed in a Tudor Gothic style, with a deeply crenelated and dramatic stone façade. It was constructed to house the Quarter Sessions for the Southern Division of the Parts of Holland, as well as the weekly Petty Sessions and monthly court meetings. The building ceased its original function in 2012, after it had been declared unfit for purpose and cases were moved to Boston Magistrates Court. The internal plan form remains largely unchanged from its original design, and much of the original fixtures and fittings were still extant at the time of the visit. {5}

Sources/Archives (5)

  •  Index: Department of the Environment. 1975. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. 1/115.
  •  Leaflet: The Sessions House. Spalding Parish File.
  •  Report: South Holland District Council. 2007. Spalding Conservation Area Appraisal. Historic Commercial Centre character area.
  •  Photograph: David Gregory. 1999. Photographs of the Sessions House, Spalding. Print. -.
  •  Report: Archaeological Project Services. 2016. Former Sessions House, Sheep Market, Spalding. -.

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Location

Grid reference Centred TF 24583 22615 (35m by 33m) Surveyed
Civil Parish SPALDING, SOUTH HOLLAND, LINCOLNSHIRE

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Record last edited

Mar 21 2021 8:35PM

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