Building record 10537/1 - Chester Rows: 26 Eastgate Street

No 26 Eastgate Street is an undercroft, currently in use as a shop, of a probable 17th century date but with extensive alterations in the 18th and late 19th centuries. In 1858 it was extensively altered by T.M. Penson for Mr Butt in the Vernacular revival style. The shop front at street level is largely modern is style with stone piers to the east and west and a recessed doorway to the east of the centre. The interior floor level is somewhat below that of the street level with a total of 3 steps down into the undercroft. Although the interior surfaces are covered there is evidence of an 18th century staircase to the rear leading up to the upper floors of the Row level town house. 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.