Building record 10553/1 - Chester Rows : 14 Bridge Street

No 14 Bridge Street is a stone undercroft, currently in use as a shop of medieval origin but with extensive remodelling. The shop front is entirely modern being of plate glass with a central doorway. The interior is mostly clad with a suspended ceiling and in only a few places to the rear does medieval masonry survive. This sandstone rubble masonry includes a protruding section of the apparently original south wall. In addition there are two surviving beams currently concealed by the suspended ceiling that would be contemporary with the 17th century town house above. 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.