Building record 10539/1 - Chester Rows: 30 Eastgate Street

No 30 Eastgate Street is a stone undercroft, currently in use as a shop, rebuilt on the site of an earlier undercroft in 1858. The facade is mostly mid 19th century in date with central broad staircase of eight steps to Row level flanked by stone piers with pyramid stud shamfers. The shop windows are modern. Much of the interior was covered at the time of the survey as part of the Chester Rows Research Project, however, two parallel segmental vaulted undercrofts of a possible 18th century date survive towards the street frontage. 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.