James Caldwell Prestwich

Prestwich was born in Atherton, Lancashire, and educated at Leigh and Nantwich Grammar Schools.

[1] Prestwich trained to be an architect in London and returned to Leigh in 1875 to start an architectural practice which he worked in until 1930 and which was continued by his son.

He produced many buildings in Leigh and Nicholas Pevsner remarked that "Any building of any merit (in Leigh) which is not a church or a mill is almost certainly by the local firm of J.C. Prestwich & Sons, capable – sometimes very capable – in a number of styles.

Prestwich designed other public buildings including Tyldesley Library and Atherton Town Hall.

Further afield, he designed public baths in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Northampton, and Stockport, as well as schools in Atherton, Southport, Birkdale, and Hindley.