Building record 10575/1 - Chester Rows : 11 Bridge Street

No 11 Bridge Street is a stone undercroft, currently in use as a shop, of a probable medieval date although the present facade is modern. The front facade of the undercroft is 20th century with a central recessed door and a flight of 10 steps leading up to Row level at the south end. The interior is primarily covered in modern material, with a suspended ceiling, however, a bridging post arcade of a medieval date survives in situ. The rear section of the undercroft has since been separated from the front by the insertion of an 18th century cross wall and is now accessed from the Row level shop. In this section the party walls are of medieval date as is the rear wall and part of a timber arcade. This part of the undercroft has seen various additions, most notably the brick arches relating to a late 18th-19th century south range and a set of 18th century sandstone steps to the Row shop. 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.