Listed Building: THE FRIARS (1376494)

CHESTER CITY (IM) SJ4066SW WHITE FRIARS 595-1/3/444 (North side (off)) 28/07/55 The Friars GV II* Detached town house on site of part of Carmelite Friary, now office. c1740 and late Georgian, altered C20. Brown brick in Flemish bond to main faces, English garden wall bond elsewhere; grey slate roofs. EXTERIOR: 2 storeys plus attic. The east front has the blank end of a projecting late Georgian wing, south, with a projecting gable chimney and, at the south-east corner, a wrought-iron lantern-bracket. The door of 2 short;2 long;2 long;2 short panels and a shouldered architrave in a corner porch with a probably cast-iron Greek Doric column. The windows have flat gauged brick arches but no sills; a flush 12-pane sash with thick glazing bars of early type and a shuttered nearly flush tripartite 4;12;4-pane sash north of the door; a plain 3-course second-storey band; 4 flush 12-pane sashes with thick glazing bars; a third storey floorband, of 2 courses oversailing one course; a date-plate 1742 and a Ship insurance plate; 4 flush 12-pane sashes, two having thick glazing bars. The flat-roofed 2-storey strongroom extension, north, is C20. The late Georgian south face is symmetrical, of 3 windows with slightly projecting central bay. Rendered sandstone plinth; gauged brick window-heads but no sills; the west and central bays have flush 2;12;2 pane tripartite sashes, the east sash is now of 2;4;2 panes; second storey band; the west and central bays have flush horned 2;4;2-pane sashes, the east bay a flush 4;12;4 pane sash; the pedimental front gable has a blocked Diocletian window; cornice to side-bays. The west front has a blocked first storey sash, a flush 12-pane second storey sash and a flush gable-chimney with soot door; the one-storey west wing has a flush 12-pane sash with painted stone sill. The north face west of the strongroom wing has a dual flush sash of 12;8 panes formerly a tripartite 8;12;8 pane sash; the second storey has 2 flush 12-pane sashes with painted stone sills; the attic has an inserted C20 casement; 2 gables, that to the west lower and later; the half-hipped gable over the strongrooms is rendered, with stringcourse, plain pilasters and moulded cornice. The windows to west and north have simple cambered brick heads. The brickwork suggests that the house may have been L-shaped with the entrance opposite the east end of the south wing. INTERIOR: the hall has the reset jamb of a medieval stone doorway, a fragment of the former friary; panelled shutters to embrasure, shouldered architrave to the north-east room and a good timber archway to the stair hall. The south-east room has 5-panel doors; panelled and shuttered embrasure; an oak cupboard with doors of 2;2;2 panels between Classical corner pillars; an altered fireplace and a cornice. The central south room has a probably C19 stone fireplace. The south-west room has a panelled and shuttered embrasure and a simple fireplace; 5-panel doors. A narrow west room, now a strongroom, has a hipped parabolic vault, difficult to date. The former kitchen, north, has 2 stop-chamfered beams of C17 character and doors of 6 fielded panels. The dogleg stair has open string, shaped brackets, curtail step, covered steps, turned newels, 3 fine spiral-moulded column-on-vase balusters per step and swept oak rail. A good timber basket-archway from landing to east passage has a fluted keystone. The north-east room has a doorcase with bolection architrave, raised panel above door of 2 long; 2 short; 2 long fielded panels and full entablature on consoles; panelled and shuttered embrasures to 3 windows; a simple fireplace; cornice. The south-east room has panelled doorcase, door of 6 margined panels, C19 cast-iron grate in a marble surround, a glazed door with overlight in oak surround and ceiling with cornice, sloped side-panels and five roses. Room south of stair has a corner fireplace in Adam manner, a 5-panel door and a cornice; the adjacent room has 5-panel door, panelled embrasure, simple fireplace and cornice. The other rooms have features including a timber Georgian pilaster fireplace on a corner breast, a blocked corner chimney breast, panelled embrasures, one altered, 5-panel doors and cornices. The stair to the third storey has square softwood newels and column-on-vase balusters. (Grosvenor Museum Archaeological Excavation & Survey Reports: Ward SW: The Lesser Medieval Religious Houses: Chester: 1990-: PASSIM). Listing NGR: SJ4039366143