Building record 10502 - Chester Rows: 1 Northgate Street

No 1 Northgate Street is a three storey property built in 1808 by Thomas Harrison as a shop at street level and club premises above. The front facade is yellow ashlar with Flemish bond brown brick behind. At street level the front facade is of modern glass with a smooth rusticated stone arcade of three segmental arches over a stone walkway approximately 1.5m wide. The upper floors have a single facade of four Ionic columns separated by three large sash windows. Above each window are recessed panels – to the north and south containing swags while the central panel has a motif of anchor and Roman standard crossed through a laurel wreath. The street level interior is modern. The first floor level consists of a large billiard room over-looking the street with preserved 19th century fireplace and panelling. The second floor level is mainly offices and facilities of a mainly 19th century date. 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.