Forster Pavilion
For over five centuries, the King’s School has been a cornerstone of education, shaping the lives of countless students. Central to this transformative experience has been the profound impact of sports. From fostering a love for physical activity during PE lessons to producing athletes who proudly represent their clubs and country.
In September 2026, we will be opening a brand new sports pavilion, the Forster Pavilion, which will significantly enhance both our facilities and the opportunities for our pupils, families, and the wider community.
"Sport is key to the development of every child. It teaches them how to work in a team and the emotions of winning and losing." Tommy Taylor, England Rugby Player & former King’s pupil
This Pavilion has been made possible through the extraordinary generosity of one of our former pupils, Roy Forster, who left the School a substantial legacy. In recognition of his deep affection for King’s, and his desire to see future generations benefit from a world-class environment for sport and community life, we are proud to name the building in his honour.
The Forster Pavilion, which represents a £5million investment in our campus, will stand alongside our existing state-of-the-art buildings, and marks another important step in delivering our Strategic Development Plan. The Pavilion will be constructed on the existing site of the current changing rooms, adjacent to the two Astro pitches and provide a first-class base for our successful hockey, netball, tennis and Junior football teams, in particular.
What does the Forster Pavilion include?
The centre piece of the Forster Pavilion is a 250 square metre, open plan hospitality suite situated on the first floor. This huge space opens up onto a wraparound viewing balcony that will provide an amazing vantage point from which to spectate games on both artificial pitches. The hospitality suite will include full audio visual capability to facilitate conference style presentations, allowing a multi-use approach that is not limited to sports fixtures. A comprehensive kitchen and catering provision will allow the building to be used for formal and casual dining occasions and it is envisaged that the building will be a popular venue for dinners and similar events. Also included on the first floor will be two smaller meeting rooms. The design of the large open plan space will create flexibility of use so that different users can vary the layout of the room to best suit their requirements.
Downstairs, the Pavilion will include two large and two smaller changing spaces, creating the capacity for 200 pupils to change and shower. There will also be five smaller changing rooms for match officials and staff.
The building is fully accessible throughout, including a lift and accessible changing facilities. The roof of the building will also see a full array of solar panels, reinforcing the school’s commitment to sustainability and adding to the solar panels already installed on the academic building and sports centre.
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
The new Pavilion will be used by over 1,300 pupils of different ages, in addition to the 20+ grassroots sports clubs and local primary schools that extensively use our facilities in the evenings and at weekends.
In addition, the Pavilion will offer a flexible space that will be of real value for our community partnerships, providing a venue for conferences and community events. We look forward to welcoming external groups to use these facilities, strengthening our connections with the wider Cheshire community.
Construction is scheduled to begin at Easter 2026, with completion in time for the start of the new academic year in September 2026.
Back from left: Blease Brooke Hancock McGuiness Ashness Palmer Miller Bradley Carrie Clegg Ackerley Smith
Front from left: Crowder Smith TT Shaw Forster Harvey Jones Offerbach
Who was Roy Forster?
One of our most generous donors is Roy Forster. Born in 1927, Roy joined King’s in the Junior School in 1934. He was born in Scholar Green and was the only child of a local garage owner, travelling to school each day by train.
Whilst at King’s, Roy was an excellent sportsman. He played for the first XI cricket team and he also captained the famous 1943-1944 Rugby team as an excellent rugby full back. The school magazine of 1944 noted: “R. Forster (Captain) has this season become one of the best full backs the school has produced. Safe tackler, strong and accurate kicker, much cooler under pressure than last year, and joins the attack with discretion and good effect. A good and popular captain.”
Upon leaving school in 1944, Roy trained as a vet at Liverpool University and took over a veterinary practice in Eastbourne in 1953. Roy was well-respected within the profession and was invited to a Buckingham Palace Garden Party for his services to the RSPCA, where he was a member of the governing body, council and became chairman for three years. Roy eventually retired from his Eastbourne practice and moved to Upper Dicker in East Sussex with his second wife, Jean, their dachshunds and ponies. Roy fondly remembered his school days and stayed in touch with several of his school friends, well into his 80s. Roy passed away peacefully at home with his animals in October 2009 after a short illness, aged 82. Jean passed away in August 2021. Roy and Jean left their entire estate, including land and property, to the King’s School, making Roy one of our greatest benefactors. Written in a local newspaper at the time of Roy’s death, it was said that Roy’s clients considered him generous, dedicated and ‘one of a kind.’ We could not agree more.
