Listed Building record MDO9152 - Forston House, Charminster

Large early eighteenth century house in grounds, built by Robert Browne of Frampton. Brick walls in Flemish bond with ashlar dressings, of quoins and plat bands. Slate roofs with parallel ridges, masked by the attic storey.

Forston House is a square five-bay building of two storeys and attics, built of red brick with ashlar dressings circa 1720. In recent times a new wing has been built to the north and alterations have been made internally. (RCHME 1970; Pevsner 1972)

Forston House (name confirmed) is as described above. (See GP). (Attrill 1981)

Historic England, National Record of the Historic Environment, 453011 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey 1:10,000 scale map, 1975 (Map). SDO17396.

(SY 66589574) Forston House [NAT]

Attrill, N J, Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigator's Comments NJA, F1 NJA 30-JAN-81 (Unpublished document). SDO14743.

Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 2, 69-70 (Monograph). SDO136.

‘(6) Forston House (66589574) is of two storeys with attics. The walls are of brick in Flemish bond with ashlar dressings; the roofs are slated. Hutchins (II, 544) records that it was built by Robert Browne of Frampton (1670–1734) and in all probability it dates from the early years of the reign of George I. Some embellishments were added by Robert's son John, who died in 1750; in recent times a new wing has been built to the N. and alterations have been made internally.
The house is a graceful specimen of early 18th-century domestic architecture, interesting for an adroit solution of the problem of masking the gables of parallel roofs (Plate 122).
The W. façade is symmetrical and of five bays, with ashlar plinths, strings, parapet coping and flush quoins; above the second string the quoins become pilasters. The parapet wall screens the attics, but to each side it sweeps down in a bold curve to a little above eaves level; it is surmounted by decorative vases. The central doorway has been remodelled and provided [Page 070] with a reset early 18th-century wooden canopy on carved console brackets, and a modern architrave. The windows are rectangular, with plain stone architraves and double-hung sashes. On the E. the lower storey is concealed by later additions but otherwise it is similar in design to the W. front; many windows retain their original sashes with heavy glazing-bars. The S. front has a moulded stone eaves-cornice which returns for a short distance on the W. and E. fronts, corresponding with the upper string-course; the plinth and lower string are continued from the other fronts and the windows too are uniform. The N. side of the house is concealed by a modern wing the N. front of which has a curvilinear gable similar in style to that of the W. front. Reset over the modern doorway is a stone pediment on console brackets, with a cartouche in the tympanum carved with the arms of Browne; the pediment is of the second quarter of the 18th century and was presumably transferred from the central doorway of the W. front.
Inside, many of the rooms are panelled, some with original bolection-moulded panelling with panelled dados and moulded dado-rails. Many of the fireplace surrounds have been renewed. The original oak staircase has been very extensively repaired; it has turned and moulded newels and balusters, and a moulded handrail. … The Terrace W. of the house has low ashlar walls with flat copings and pedestal-piers supporting 18th-century urns.'

Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset, 143 (Monograph). SWX1290.

DOE (HHR), 1987, DOE (HHR) West Dorset District Mar-1987 31, DoE (HHR) West Dorset Mar 1987 (15) (Scheduling record). SDO17462.

Record last edited

Feb 6 2026 11:26AM