Listed Building: NUMBERS 7 AND 8 AND ATTACHED WALLS (1376026)

CHESTER CITY (IM) SJ4066NW ABBEY SQUARE 595-1/1/10 (North side) 28/07/55 Nos.7 AND 8 and attached walls (Formerly Listed as: ABBEY SQUARE (North side) Nos.7-11 (Consecutive)) GV II* 2 town houses, No.7 now with dental surgery and No.8 offices. 1754-60. For Mascie Taylor and Robert Taylor on 40-year leases from the Dean and Chapter of Chester Cathedral. Flemish bond orange brick with grey slate roof. EXTERIOR: cellars and 3 storeys. Painted stone plinth. No.7 has 4 apron steps of stone to door of 8 fielded panels in Ionic case of painted stone with fluted pilasters, pulvinated frieze and segmental pediment with modillions; No.8 has similar steps, door and Roman Doric doorcase. Each house has two 12-pane flush sashes to the first storey, 3 similar sashes to the second storey and 3 of 6 pane in square openings to the third storey; all have moulded sills of painted stone and rusticated lintels with ornate false keystones; painted stone cornice and brick parapet with plain stone coping. No.8 has a Sun Insurance plate. No external waterpipes. A ridge chimney and a shared chimney, east. The west side of No.7, to the Little Abbey Gateway passage, has a flush sandstone plinth, perhaps pre 1750, two windows under cambered brick heads to the first storey and a flush 6-piece sash to each upper storey. The rear has flush sashes under cambered brick heads, those to the lower storeys having shaped "keystones" of painted brick. INTERIOR: the houses, as Nos 9, 10 & 11 (qv), have good features including the stairs. No.7 has patterned tile floor to hall, doors of 6 fielded panels, front room with one row of broad panels beneath the dado rail and a row of tall panels above it, panelled shuttered embrasures, a panelled basket-arched alcove, dentil cornice and ceiling rose; overmantel removed. The rear room has fire surround with pilasters and an upper mantel on 4 vase pilasters, a festooned frieze and ceiling cornice; the altered rear window in a round bay has panelled shutters; ceiling rose. 2 arches to stair hall with pilasters and pier in Chinese manner; good Chinese open-well stair in panelled well with domed rooflight; cornices. The second storey has doors of 6 fielded panels. The front west and east rooms have a blocked connecting archway with pilasters; panelled embrasures, a marble fireplace and cornices; the rear rooms have panelled embrasures with a bench and cornices. The third storey has doors of 4 fielded panels, panelled embrasures with benches and a simple fireplace; attic with trusses of hipped roof. The hall of No.8 has patterned tile floor and plaster cornice; doors of 6 fielded panels; the inner face of the front door is boarded; a pilastered archway to the rear. The stair has 4 steps with wreaths to each side of curtail; 3 column-on-vase balusters per step, open string with carved brackets and swept rail. The upper storeys have doors of 5 fielded panels. The second storey front room has architraves to embrasures, fireplace, frieze and cornice. Other rooms could not be inspected. The dogleg stair to the third storey is offset and similarly but more simply detailed than that below. SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: the brick garden wall, attached to the rear, between 2 and 3m high, has 4 stone steps to a diagonally boarded 4-panel door in the west side. The sandstone plinth along the north side may be pre 1850; blocked doorway; plain stone cap. (Burne RVH: Chester Cathedral: London: 1958-: 218-20). Listing NGR: SJ4049466555