Forest House

Forest House

Part of a substantial town house, now a night club. Dating from the late 18th century and subsequently altered, the building is constructed of red-brown brick with ashlar dressing and has a grey slate roof.

The structure comprises what was probably formerly the central block to the rear from Love Street, containing a basement and three tall storeys. The present front, originally the right wing when the house faced an oval forecourt towards Foregate Street, consists of three lower storeys arranged in three bays. The face to Love Street features a damaged central doorway in stone, now finished with roughcast and a pedimented panel above a round-arched case with hollow chamfered rusticated jambs, voussoirs and triple keystone. The altered ground floor retains some of the stone plinth to each side, with a shopfront inserted on the left. The first floor displays two recessed 12-pane sash windows in a bay to each side of the entrance. The second floor has two similar sashes in the projecting entrance bay and two to each side. A central broken pediment and cornice with modillions is topped by a round window in the pediment.

The right side facing Forest Street shows a blank ground floor. The first floor retains two damaged recessed 12-pane sashes, with two intact examples on the second floor and a broken modillion pediment with round window. The main block rises behind the Love Street frontage and features two recessed 12-pane sashes to the second floor and a great rectangular flush chimney with a row of 14 flues. The right end of the block to Forest Street has an altered basement with damaged steps to ground level; three replaced French windows with 6-pane overlights; and a round-arched doorway with a replaced door under a radial-bar fanlight. The first floor contains three recessed 12-pane sashes, whilst the second floor has three shorter 6-pane sashes and a round attic window in a broken pediment gable.

The left side, formerly the front elevation, retains a rusticated stone ground floor with a round-arched former doorway and a boarded-up round-arched sash to each side, with blocked openings to the basement beneath each window. A frieze at first floor level features vase-balusters arranged in three panels; three recessed 12-pane sashes with stone architraves and cornices, the central sash being carried on consoles. The second floor has three recessed 6-pane sashes with stone architraves; a circular window with architrave occupies the broken pediment gable. The rear elevation is almost unpierced, with boxed eaves and a central flush chimney carrying a row of 10 flues.

Interior surfaces in accessible rooms are largely covered with what appears to be dry lining to the walls and low false ceilings. Part of a pair of Ionic columns is visible to the left of the entrance lobby, with a small octagonal room behind retaining some panels, architraves and frieze work. Round-arched recesses occupy two cardinal sides and three of the oblique sides, beneath a saucer-shaped dome. There is said to be a similar upper room, though this is not currently accessible. Other features of interest may survive.

This was, apart from the former Bishop's Palace in the Groves, the largest Georgian town house in Chester. It was occupied in the early 19th century by Colonel Roger Barnston of Churton.