Listed Building: 20 AND 22, CUPPIN STREET (1376182)

CHESTER CITY (IM) SJ4066SW 595-1/3/145 CUPPIN STREET (North side) Nos.20 AND 22 10/01/72 GV II Pair of town houses, possibly formed by the sub-division of a larger house. Early C18, altered. Brown brick in Flemish bond to front; each house has a grey slate roof with ridges at right-angles to front. EXTERIOR: 3 storeys of 2 windows to each house, 2 doorcases with plain pilasters and moulded pediments; painted plinth of rendered stone; 2 steps to each door, of stone to No.20 and covered to No.22, No.20 having a door of 6 fielded panels and No.22 a replaced small-panel door, each with a plain overlight; No.20 has a recessed, replaced horned tripartite sash with no glazing bars, No.22 a replaced flush 2-pane horned sash. The second storey has 2 replaced 2-pane horned recessed sashes to No.20 and 2 replaced horned flush 2-pane sashes to No.22, the sash-boxes being old. The third storey has 2 replaced recessed 2-pane horned sashes to No.20 and a flush sash with glazing bars removed to No.22. Each upper storey has a 3-course brick floor-band. No.20 has a 3-course band at base of a plain parapet; No.22 has a band of one course oversailing 2 courses beneath a parapet with pilasters and panels of brick which look late C17 and a cornice. An ornate mid C19 cast-iron rainwater head. The front gable of No.22 is visible above the parapet. INTERIORS: cellar to No.20 is said to be partly barrel-vaulted in brick and to have brick walls with rectangular sinkings. The hall of No.20 has a blocked archway, probably formerly to what is now No.22, with detailing removed. The front room appears largely to be re-finished below frieze level; architrave to embrasure; probably replaced round-arched marble fireplace; cornice with heavily-moulded ceiling-band; plaster rose. The dogleg stair has newels with pendant, closed string, 3 turned balusters of substantial section per step and heavy moulded rail dying against the newels of each flight; swept skirting. The front second storey room has most features removed or covered; plaster cornice and rose. Doors are replaced, 4-panelled, of early C19 type. No.22 has cellar with east part barrel-vaulted in brick, an oak post and longitudinal beam and post and rail to the stone stair of late C17 appearance; the stair has winders through 180 degrees. The entrance hall has a round archway to the stair hall with panelled pilasters and a similar basket archway, now blocked, formerly to No.20. The front room is panelled, one row below the plain dado and a tall row above it; panelled overmantel, but fireplace removed; painted oak cornice; rose. The back room has a re-lined range recess and a boxed oak beam. The dogleg oak stair, somewhat damaged, is much simpler than that to No.20, and looks late C17. The second storey front room has fielded dado panels and moulded rail, a round-arched marble fireplace and an oak cornice. The third storey has no visible features of special interest, but the roof is stated to have oak purlins, flat rafters, some replaced, and an oak ridge-tree set diagonally. Listing NGR: SJ4046066045