Listed Building: NO.12 WHITE FRIARS (WEST PART) (1376480)

CHESTER CITY (IM) SJ4066SW WHITE FRIARS 595-1/3/439 (North side) 10/01/72 No.12 (west part) (Formerly Listed as: WHITEFRIARS No.12) GV II Town house, now part of office. Cellars partly medieval; rebuilt above ground level c1800. Flemish bond brown brick; grey slate roof, ridge parallel with street. EXTERIOR: 3 storeys, 2 windows. Twice weathered plinth of painted stone; recess for former boot-scraper; 2 yellow sandstone steps to door of 6 fielded panels with overlight of 9 margined panes in probably replaced timber case with unmoulded pediment on consoles; shallow bow window, east, has tripartite sash now of 2;2;2 panes, the central sash broader than the sidelights, in timber case with curved frieze and cornice. The second storey has 2 recessed sashes, now of 2 panes, with painted stone sillband and wedge lintels; the third storey has 2 recessed 9-pane sashes with painted stone sillband and wedge lintels; full lead-dressed cornice of painted stone; flush gable chimneys. INTERIOR: the outer walls of the cellars are of tooled coursed rubble sandstone with some probably C18 brickwork above; the internal walls are largely C18 brick; sandstone steps; a slightly S-curved north-south passage has brick barrel-vault; a sandstone cross-wall in the east cellar; barrel-vaulted chimney-stacks and wine-bins of brick; flagged floor; 2 roughly-chamfered oak beams approx 0.25 x 0.25m, with mortices for broad joists, but the floor above is now raised. The first storey has inner door to hall altered; the east front room has a wood fireplace, now blocked with curious knobbly surfaces to pilasters and frieze, panelled and shuttered embrasure to the bow window, plaster cornice. The rear rooms have altered doors and some cornices. The panelled archway to stair hall has simple reeded corner pilasters. The open-well 7-flight stair has open string, shaped brackets, covered steps, tapered octagonal newels, stick balusters and mahogany swept rail. The second storey has a pilastered basket archway from landing to rear, front room with 5-panel door, simple fireplace and cornice and back room with 6-panel door. The third storey has no visible features of special interest; the seventh flight of the stair leads to a former doorway, now blocked, to the third storey of the taller next building, No.14 (qv). For the east wing of this office, formerly No.1 Bollands Court, see No.12 White Friars (east part). Listing NGR: SJ4047666104