Friars Lower School

Cadw's description

Location

Set back from the road in its own grounds with forecourt.

History

Dated 1899 (opened 1900); by Douglas and Minshull, architects of Chester. The design competition was assessed by R H Carpenter and the contractors were Messrs Hamilton and Son of Altrincham; cost "12,000. The school was originally created by Jeffrey Glynne in 1557 out of the old friary, founded in 1276, and was sited at the N end of the town.

Exterior

Tudor style. Asymmetrical mainly 2-storey front comprising 12-window school with projecting central tower and attached 2-window headmaster’s house to right. Snecked rubble with freestone dressings including stringcourse, eaves band and gable parapets with finials. Slate roofs and stone chimney stacks, to right wit polygonal brick flues; pyramidal roof to tower. Mullion and transom leaded windows, mostly 3-lights; segmental headed lights to ground floor and over entrance.

The 3-storey, 2-window entrance tower has overall Tudor label to the paired 3-light windows on the top floor; the segmental headed entrance is offset to left with flanking pilasters and panelled double doors and the stringcourse above is stepped up over stone carved cast of arms dated 1577. Alternate bays to either side are gabled and advanced at 1st floor with tall windows rising to attic level. One small attic window to right of tower. The headmaster’s house to right had a projecting gable ended cross range with 4-light attic window over broad splayed bay.

3-gable ends stepped at NE end, one range projects with segmental headed entrance in the angle; the 3-storey range behind that contained and unused attic dormitory. Attached at the rear is a single storey range and a further cross range extends from the central tower. The later ranges (not shown on 1901 map) have created two courtyards.

Interior

The interior retains plain staircase with panelled newels and turned balusters.