Building record 10552/1 - Chester Rows : 12 Bridge Street

No 12 Bridge Street is a stone undercroft, currently in use as a shop. The front half was built in the 19th century with a doorway to the rear providing access to a lower, rear, undercroft of late 13th century construction. Dating of this part of the medieval undercroft remains controversial as the walls are of plain rubble sandstone with a stone vault and few datable features. There are three windows at the west end leading to the light well, in their present form they are substantially higher than originally built with sharply angled trefoil headed windows that suggest an early 13th century date but with a gently curved door head trefoil of a mid to late 13th century date. The cellar was discovered in 1839 began 16.15m back from the present street frontage and consisted of six bays of quadripartite vaulting with chamfered ribs. There was a stone staircase in the south wall with a window in the west wall of three graduated lancet lights. The east wall is a modern insert dividing it from the 19th century cellar to the front of the property. The ground level cuts into the natural bedrock to a depth of c0.60m although this appears to be a 19th century alteration. 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.