Building record 10482/2 - Chester Rows: 43 Watergate Street Row

No 43 Watergate Street Row is a three storey town house, currently in use as a shop, of a probable late 19th century date, probably designed by T.M. Lockwood for Charles Brown. The facade at Row level is 20th century while the upper floors retain their 19th century character in the Vernacular Revival style with false timbering and close studwork. A side wall to west exposed to back passage in No.45 Row has probably late medieval stonework under later brickwork. The interior has largely been stripped however a king post truss in the attic level contains possible 17th century timbers. The Row front has timber rail on barley sugar balusters; sloped boarded stallboard; granolithic Row walk. Central and end posts to bressumer over Row front, with shaped brackets; slightly jettied fascia inscribed ‘In the Lord My Strength’. The traditional arrangement on the Rows consisted of a single storey stone undercroft at street level and a Row level building over it. Above the undercroft, the Row level building was more often timber built and consisted of a 'Row' level storey incorporating the Row walkway or stallboard extending over the frontage of the undercroft (this allowed extra head room for the undercroft and additional space for traders on the stallboards). The Row walkway was approximately 4-6m in width and incorporated the path and the stallboards themselves. The Row level storey formed the medieval shop opening onto the Row walkway. Due to differences in ground level between the front and back of the plots, the undercroft is at street level at the front and the Row level storey at ground level to the rear. The Row building also often included at least one further storey above it that extended forward again over the Row walkway. The upper floors were private, domestic quarters. The Rows are believed to be of medieval origin, dating at least to the 13th century followed by a gradual evolution of built form over a period of perhaps 100 years to create the present elements of undercroft, Row walkway and Row building. Survival of the built form of the Rows varies considerably and different elements of a single building can vary enormously in date from the 13th century through to the 20th century.