Building record 10510 - Chester Rows: 27-31 Northgate Street Dublin Packet

No 27-31 Northgate Street consists of three four storey town houses with gable floor built in around 1900 in the Vernacular Revival style, currently in use as shops and a public house. The total width of the east facade is 7.65m, the north facade fronting onto Market Square is 3.60m. Although not surveyed as part of the Chester Rows Project, there is a cellar of probable medieval construction. The Row walkway consists of two equal arcade bays with four multi shafted posts on stone bases. The brackets from posts to bressumer form round headed arches. Above the capital of each post is a niche containing small painted free standing carved wooden figures. The east facade (No 29-31) consists of three bays with a four light window in the south bay, vertical studding in the central bay and a two facetted oriel window in the north bay. Brackets at this level support the second floor jetty. A niche at the corner of No 31 contains a painted wooden carved figure. On the second floor there is a two pane window in the south and central bays and two windows in the north bay surrounded by close studwork. The roof level of the three bays vary with a sloping roof above the second floor level in the south bay and a jettied gable end above the north bay. The central bay continues up to a third floor with horizontal stud marking below a 5 pane window and a gable end above. The rear facade constitutes the Dublin Packet public house (No 27) fronting onto Market Square and consists of a three storey building with 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.