Listed Building: NUMBER 17 STREET | NUMBER 9 ROW THE BOOT INN (1376216)

CHESTER CITY (IM) SJ4066SE EASTGATE STREET AND ROW 595-1/4/154 (North side) 28/07/55 No.17 Street and No.9 Row (The Boot Inn) (Formerly Listed as: EASTGATE STREET No.17 Street & No.7 & No.9 (The Boot Inn) Row) GV II* Undercroft and town house, now shop at undercroft level and public house at Row level. Altered medieval undercroft, with mid C17 upper storeys. Sandstone, timber frame with plaster panels; grey slate roof. EXTERIOR: 3 storeys of one bay including street and Row levels. The timber frame of Row and third storeys is heavily restored. The Row has heavy moulded rail on shaped splat balusters, probably replaced late C19; sloped boarded stallboard 2.55m from front to back; stone-paved Row walk; heavily-repaired bressumer over Row front and beam between stallboard and walk; repaired chamfered posts; repaired chamfered joists; heavily restored front to Row of public house. Wrought-iron inn-sign bracket. The bressumer front is carved, supported on oak Atlantes probably renewed late C19. The restored face to the third storey has a shallow canted 5-light mullioned and transomed oriel on 4 animal-shaped brackets above 5 ornate panels; 2 close-studded panels to each side have rail at transom level. V-braced above; a reversed-taper pilaster at each corner carries the jettied gable on figure brackets; the tie-beam face is carved; panelled herringbone strutting; moulded bargeboards; truncated drop-finial. The front 2 feet of the east side are exposed, with a V-braced panel above a small leaded window; a protrusion above eaves level. The lower part of the east party wall of the rear yard is of medieval stonework. INTERIOR: the cellar, wholly beneath street level, is cut into the bedrock with brick upper parts to its walls; the floor of stone flags is largely screeded; 2 oak cross-beams to a largely renewed ceiling are visible. The street-level shop is largely lined, but with medieval coursed sandstone visible beneath the barrel-vault of the rear bay; the barrel-vault, of generally C18 form, is partly of sandstone and could be earlier. The partition between shop and stockroom is inserted; the walls of the barrel-vaulted stockroom are medieval coursed sandstone, with lined lavatories behind. The remainder of the undercroft, now the beer cellars of The Boot Inn, has 2 parallel longitudinal barrel vaults with medieval sandstone east, west and north walls and part of the dividing wall. The Boot Inn at Row level has oak frame intact but restored, of 6 bays of similar dimensions to the stallboard and Row walk bays. The bay posts and beams are of large scantling, but some have mortice-holes suggesting possible re-use. A wattle-and-daub panel is displayed. Until 1988 there was an east passageway, now thrown in with the bar, but no evidence that it formed part of the C17 structure. The open-well stair, at west side of the second bay is renewed, but probably in its former position. The lobby to the rear bar is paved with flags removed from the undercroft. The rear bar has a C19 range in the open recess against west wall. Against the east wall an alcove settle of oak, probably C18. The third storey has a good parlour over the Row, with mid C17 oak panelling to the 3 internal walls, having 4 rows of vertically-proportioned panels topped with one row of broad panels; ceiling of 4 panels with Classically moulded cornices. Parts of the timber framing, including a good trenched purlin truss, are visible in the rear rooms. (Chester Rows Research Project: Harris R: Eastgate Street North: 1989-1990). Listing NGR: SJ4058766326