Details
CHESTER CITY (IM)
SJ4066SE BRIDGE STREET AND ROW
595-1/4/54 (West side)
10/01/72 No.52 Street
(Formerly Listed as:
BRIDGE STREET
(West side)
No.52)
(Formerly Listed as:
WHITEFRIARS
No.2)
GV II
Includes: No.2 WHITE FRIARS.
Undercroft and town house, now shop and office, on site of the
service bay of the large medieval town house whose hall is in
Nos 48 & 50 Bridge Street (qv); above undercroft level the
service wing was demolished for a Georgian Town House,
probably c1760; some C20 alterations. Brown brick in Flemish
bond to Bridge Street and English garden wall bond to White
Friars; grey slate roof at right-angle to Bridge Street,
hipped to front.
EXTERIOR: 4 storeys. The shopfront to Bridge Street is late
C20. The second storey, replacing the Row, has 2 nearly flush
12-pane sashes with painted stone sills, rusticated wedge
lintels and fluted keystones; the third storey has 2 similar
but taller sashes; the fourth storey has a central tripartite
sash of 3;9;3 panes; painted stone cornice; low, lead-covered
parapet.
The long south face to White Friars has cast-iron vents and a
small-paned window to the cellars; the first storey has a
short return of the shopfront, the entrance to No.2 White
Friars has 4 stone steps to door of 5 fielded panels, a looped
radial-bar fanlight in a pedimented doorcase with fluted
pilasters and a short internal stair to the stair-hall; nearly
flush sashes with painted stone sills and cambered brick
heads, one of 12 panes and three, tripartite, of 4;12;4 panes,
one being taller; the third storey has a 12-pane sash, a tall
sash to the stair with a 12-pane lower leaf and a 15-pane
upper leaf, a tripartite sash of 4;12;4 panes and a 12-pane
sash; the fourth storey has a 4-pane sash and two 9-pane
sashes; a lead rainwater pipe and head; a stone-capped
parapet; a large lateral chimney near the Bridge Street corner
and a chimney set back near the rear.
INTERIOR: the cellar to No.52 Bridge Street, rock-cut, is
largely Georgian with Flemish bond brickwork, but has some
medieval stonework in rear wall; the basement of No.2 White
Friars at former undercroft level is largely Georgian with
brick barrel-vaults and brick-arched wine-bin; chamfered
joists. No.2 White Friars occupies the whole of each storey at
former Row level and above.
The second (formerly Row) storey, front room has a rehung
broad 5-panel door, panelled dado and embrasures, a Greek
Doric fireplace and a plaster cornice; a C20 partition. The
second room has a 5-panel door, simple panelled dado, blocked
corner fire-breast and plaster cornice. The stair-hall has a
round archway with panelled pilasters and moulded
arch-arrises, to the front passage; the open-string stair has
a narrow open well, open string, shaped brackets, fluted
newels, 2 stick balusters per step, swept rail and probably
altered dado with fluted pilasters. The room behind the stair
has chimney-breast, rail but no panels to dado, fitted
cupboard in chimney-corner and 2 chamfered oak beams. the next
room has a painted chamfered beam.
The third-storey front room has panelled window-embrasures and
plaster cornice; the second room has a 5-panelled door, corner
fireplace, simple dado panelling and plaster cornice; the
landing has archway to front passage as in the second storey;
the room behind the stair has 5-panel door, embrasures with
panelled shutters, fireplace and plaster cornice; the 2 small
back rooms have 5-panel doors.
The fourth-storey front room has a 5-panel door and a
chamfered softwood beam hacked as key for former plaster; the
second room has a 5-panel door, corner fireplace and two
5-panel doors towards the stair; the room behind the stair has
a 5-panel door and fitted cupboards in the chimney-corners;
the next room has 5-panel doors to passage and back room; the
2 small back rooms have 5-panel doors; that to the north has a
cast-iron Gothick window with inset 4-pane opening light. Some
HL hinges and old latches. Parallel-sided glazing bars and
features including oak beams suggest that part of the building
may be early C18.
(Chester Rows Research Project: Harris R: Archive, Bridge
Street East: 1989-).
Listing NGR: SJ4053966112
