Listed Building: NUMBERS 90-98 STREET (1376361)

CHESTER CITY (IM) SJ4066NW NORTHGATE STREET AND ROW 595-1/1/321 (East side) 10/01/72 Nos.90-98 (even) Street (Formerly Listed as: NORTHGATE STREET Nos.90 AND 92) (Formerly Listed as: NORTHGATE STREET Nos.94 AND 96) (Formerly Listed as: NORTHGATE STREET No.98) GV II Probably designed as 2 town houses and shops, now 3 shops and offices. Mid C18. The frontage of Nos 90 & 92 is expressed as one town house, Nos 94 & 96 as the other; the exteriors of the 2 are described separately, but the interiors overlap. EXTERIOR: Nos 90 & 92 are of brown brick, in Flemish bond to the front and south and English garden wall bond to the rear; the sandstone wing wall to Little Abbey Gateway (qv) forms the lower part of the rear wall of No.90 and probably the plinth to its south end; grey slate roofs with main ridges parallel with the street. 3 storeys. The shopfront to No.90 is probably inter-war with recessed quadrant pane to the south-west corner, central recessed doorway a pattern of panels above the shop windows and panelled end-pilasters. The door to No.92 has 6 panels with an overlight having a central circle and saltire bars; boarded fascia. The south-west corner of the upper storeys has painted stone quoins, the stretcher side of each stone being flush and the header face projecting. Each upper storey has 2 flush 12-pane sashes with painted stone sills and gauged brick heads with keystones. The south end has a similar window to the second storey and an opening blocked in brick to the third storey. A band of one projecting course, one recessed course and 2 successively projecting courses beneath a 12-course parapet with moulded stone cornice; stone quoins to the north end of the parapet. Nos 94 & 96, a little lower than Nos 90 & 92, are expressed as one wide-fronted 3-storey town house, with 2 later shopfronts. The early C20 shopfront to No.94 has a stone plinth, a recessed door with a large glass panel above 2 shaped panels, pilasters and a blind-box. The shopfront to No.96 is of no interest. Brick end pilasters to the upper storeys. The second storey has 3 flush 12-pane sashes with painted stone sills and keys to gauged brick heads, the central one smaller and with a higher sill. The third storey has four 12-pane sashes similar to the sash to the second storey. A band of 2 separated brick courses with a flashed oversailing course at the base of a 10-course parapet with a plain stone coping; coped north gable with a ridge chimney. The rear to No.90 is blank. No.92 has a 2-and-a-half storey canted rear bay with a former basement doorway now a 2-pane window with a rendered apron, a tripartite sash of 4;12;4 panes to each of the first and second storeys under a lean-to roof and to the third storey in the gable above. No.94, in the recess between the canted bay of No.92 and the rear wing of No.96, has a door of 4 fielded panels above 2 flush panels, a flush sash of 12 panes to the second storey and a 9-pane sash to the third storey. The gabled rear wing to No.96 has a 16-pane recessed sash to the first storey and to the second storey and a 9-pane sash to the third storey, all with stone sills and segmental brick heads; in the south side a 3-pane basement window, a bricked-up opening to the first storey and a recessed 9-pane sash to the third storey; 2 small inserted windows in the north side. Only the third storey is visible north of the rear wing, with a flush 12-pane sash. INTERIOR: the basement is largely C18. 3 stone steps within the hall. The room behind the entrance has 3 moulded plaster-faced beams and a cornice; a door of 6 fielded panels to the rear north room; a plain 6-panel door; stair in closed well to second storey; the second storey front south room has an altered door in a case with heavy architrave, part of a moulded cornice, a stone fireplace and a cast-iron safe, probably late C19; panelled case to 6-panel door to rear room. A rear room has a 6-panel door, cornice and a marble fireplace with mantel on slender Roman Doric pillars; cupboard with architrave to door of 6 fielded panels; rail to landing has turned newels and column-on-vase balusters. The stair to the third storey has closed string, newel with turned central portion, 2 turned balusters with square plinths and caps. Doors of rooms on the third storey which were unoccupied and could not be inspected have 4 fielded panels. The attic stair is similar to that to the third storey, but with square newels. Parts of the interior could not be inspected. Listing NGR: SJ4046366566