Building record 10555 - Chester Rows : 18 Bridge Street

No 18 Bridge Street and No 14 Bridge Street Row consists of an undercroft and town house of a single construction of an early 19th century date. A rainwater head dated 1804 confirms this. The facade forms half a symmetrical arrangement with the adjacent property (No 16 Bridge Street). The undercroft level is modern throughout with a 20th century shop front with recessed door just north of the centre. The Row level town house above consists of a modern shop front of 20th century date. The upper floors are of Flemish bond brick work with a central sash window on the first and second floors. The purlin roof is early 19th century in construction. The interior is modern throughout. 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.