Building record 10509 - Chester Rows: 25 Northgate Street

No 25 Northgate Street is a four storey town house with gable floor built in around 1900 in the Vernacular Revival style. The total width of the facade is 4.59m. Although not surveyed as part of the Chester Rows Project, there is an undercroft of probable medieval construction that may contain some Roman stonework. The street level shop front and interior is modern opening onto a stone paved Row walkway varying in width from 2.85m in the south to 2.68m in the north. The upper floors are supported by two timber multi shafted posts at the north and south ends resting on stone bases. Brackets inwards carry a four centred arch with further brackets supporting the jettied front of the upper floors. The upper floors are highly ornate with three large leaded light windows at first floor level separated by narrow decorated bands and six panels below with diagonal motif. The second floor has a continuous projection of the first floor timber bressumer creating a further slight jetty. A central six pane leaded light window is surrounded by square panels of studwork with arched brace geometric pattern. The third floor gable end jettied out with slight coving beneath and false studwork. 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.