Building record 10486/1 - Chester Rows: 49-51 Watergate Street

No 49 consists of a sandstone undercroft approximately 5.3m wide with two substantial sections of medieval masonry. In the east wall a section of walling 2.83m in length and 1.74m high of roughly cut sandstone rubble was identified towards the front of the property while in the western wall opposite a section 2.13m in length and 2.10m high was also recorded along with two corbels with evidence of burning between them. No 51 was not accessible at the time of the survey, although it had a modern shop front little else of interest could be identified. No 51 Watergate Street consisted of two undercrofts, occupied as a single property known as Cowley’s Shoe Shop at the time of the Chester Rows Survey, of probable medieval origin but has since been substantially rebuilt. Since the survey, No 51 has since reverted to two separate properties number No 49 (eastern property) and No 51 (western property). 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.