11, White Friars

11 White Friars is an early 18th-century town house, now in office use, situated on the south side of White Friars in Chester. The building has a cellar of medieval origin and has been altered over time.

The exterior is constructed of brown brick laid in irregular bond, with a grey slate roof featuring a ridge at right-angles to the street and hipped to the front. The building comprises 3 storeys plus cellar and attics, with 4 windows across its facade. The windows are flush sashes with painted stone sills and segmental brick heads. The first storey contains two 12-pane sashes, with 2 stone steps leading to a door of 2 short, 4 long and 2 short fielded panels set within a late Georgian pedimented case of painted wood with fluted pilasters and a 12-pane sash above. A 3-course floor-band marks the division to the second storey, which has four 12-pane sashes. Another floor-band with one brick course oversailing 2 courses separates this from the third storey, which has four 9-pane sashes. A central square downpipe runs down the facade, and a painted stone cornice crowns the wall-head; the chimneys have been removed. The rear elevation has a lower extended section, with the original gable visible above.

The cellar, probably of medieval origin, contains rubble sandstone mainly in its rear wall, a roughly-chamfered oak cross-beam, an inserted wooden stair and an oak door of 2 fielded panels.

The hall features a floor of shaped coloured tiles and 2 chamfered cross-beams with bar-and-ogee stops. The front room retains extensive panelling: walls display a row of wide fielded panels beneath the dado rail and a full-height row above, all of oak. There is an oak cornice with dentils, a cupboard within the panelling to the right of the chimney-breast, panelled shutters to the embrasures, and 2 chamfered cross-beams with bar-and-ogee stops. The door has been altered with a bolection lower panel. The altered rear east room has an oak door of 2 fielded panels, a simply-chamfered longitudinal beam and evidence of a former inglenook. The rear west room formerly had a 2-panel oak door, panelling similar to the front room but painted, a corner breast now panelled, and a 2-panel ceiling with cornice; a 20th-century opening has been inserted to an assembly room behind.

The oak open-well stair comprises 9 flights. The first storey features an open string with shaped brackets, turned newels, 3 column-on-vase balusters per step with each central baluster having a barleysugar column, swept rails with wreaths, the lowest step with curtails at each end and panelled dado with panelled pilasters. The flights to the third and attic storeys are simpler, with square newels having pendants, closed strings and straight rails. The second storey landing has panelled north and east walls matching those in the first storey rooms. Doors throughout are of oak with 2 short, 2 long, 2 short fielded panels, and an oak cornice runs around the landing. The front room retains oak panelling as in the first storey, panelled oak embrasure seats and shutters, a cupboard within the panelling to the right of the fireplace, a chamfered longitudinal beam with bar-and-ogee stops and an oak cornice. The smaller west front room has a simple fireplace in a corner breast and a simply-chamfered cross-beam. The rear east room, largely stripped, has a simply-chamfered longitudinal beam. The rear west room contains a simple fireplace in a corner breast.

On the third storey, the front west room has a painted door of 2 fielded panels on blacksmith's H-hinges and a corner fireplace. The front east room has a door of 2 fielded panels. The rear rooms have similar doors; the door to the west room opens to an early 19th-century cast-iron fireplace in a corner breast. The attic storey has 2 doors of 3 boards mounted on old long hinges.