Forster, Richard | Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada

FORSTER, Richard (fl. 1847-1872) was active in London, England where he was nominated as an Associate of the Royal Inst. of British Architects on 11 January 1847 (R.I.B.A., Directory of British Architects 1834-1900, 1993, 318). In 1872 he provided plans for “Claverleigh”, an important Gothic Revival landmark near CREEMORE, ONT., and now a National Historic Site (Mathilde Brosseau, Gothic Revival in Canadian Architecture, in Parks Canada, Canadian Historic Sites, Vol. xxv, 1980, 104-05, illus., but lacking attribution). Designed as a home and rectory for Rev. John Forster, it is likely that Rev. Forster called upon his brother in London to provide the plans for his new residence in rural Ontario. The distinctive design for Claverleigh bears a remarkable resemblance to the Anglican rectory built six years later in nearby COLLINGWOOD, ONT., 1878, and still standing at 75 Ontario Street in that town (Laurel Lane-Moore, Collingwood: Historic Homes and Buildings, 1989, 54-5, illus. & descrip.). There, the client Rev. L.H. Kirkby appears to have used the plans by Forster, making minor modifications in scale and detail to serve his requirements.