Building record 10530/1 - Chester Rows: 12 Eastgate Street

No 12 Eastgate Street is a stone undercroft, currently in use as a shop, and built in 1861 by G Williams of Liverpool for Messrs Beckett and Co. on the site of a former 13th-14th century two bay vaulted undercroft. Although the interior walls are covered with plaster, there is some suggestion that the side walls may be in part at least medieval in date, little else of note is recorded in the undercroft. The stone steps leading up to Row level are in this case, central to the building. The interior floor level is substantially below that of the street level with a total of 9 steps down into the undercroft. 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.