Building record 10575/2 - Chester Rows : 11 Bridge Street Row

No 11 Bridge Street Row is a brick three storey town house, currently in use as a shop, of 17th century origin but with extensive alteration in the 19th century. The Row level town house consists of a shop front of a recent date with a four panelled door to the south providing access to the upper levels. There are three four pane sash windows with shutters on the first floor with two casement windows centrally placed on the second floor extending into the gable end. The interior of the Row level town house shows several phases of alteration, the shop has been completely renovated in the 20th century, however there are surviving traces of the 17th century timber framing in the office to the rear and in the private passage providing access to the Row town house beyond. The over Row chamber at first floor level is now open to the gallery but the 17th century timber work here suggests a now removed stud wall. Although the present gallery arrangement is modern, it is thought that it replaced the 17th century original. A narrow staircase leads up from the east end of the first floor gallery to the second floor to a room of 20th century character. To the west, a passage leads past a lightwell into the 17th century structure. There is also a 17th century front room with intact purlin roof trusses. The Row walkway consists of a Row walk 2.05m wide and a stallboard 2m wide. The upper floors are supported by two cast iron Doric columns with a simple wooden balustrade in front. 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.