Sessions House, Preston, Lancashire, UK (built 1900–1903)

A sessions house in the United Kingdom was historically a courthouse that served as a dedicated court of quarter sessions,[1] where criminal trials were held four times a year on quarter days. Sessions houses were also used for other purposes to do with the administration of justice, for example as a venue for the courts of assize (assizes). The courts of quarter sessions and assize, which did not necessarily sit in dedicated premises, were replaced in England by a permanent Crown Court by the Courts Act 1971, and in 1975 in Scotland by other courts. Several buildings formerly used as sessions houses are still named "Sessions House"; some are still used for the administration of justice (e.g., London Sessions House, now the Central Criminal Court at the Old Bailey), while others have different uses. Some are listed buildings of architectural importance.

An incomplete list of English and Welsh sessions houses:

An incomplete list of Irish sessions houses, for the period up to c. 1900 under British rule.

Some buildings in the US are known as "Sessions House"; some are on the National Register of Historic Places:

References

  1. ↑ "Courts Act 1971". Legislation.gov.uk. 1971. p. Termination of obligation to provide courthouse or sessions-house.
  2. ↑ NLI MS 10,990


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