Building record 10584/2 - Chester Rows : 43-45 Bridge Street Row

No 43-45 Bridge Street Row consists of a three storey town house, originally a single wide fronted house together with the adjacent property (No 47 Bridge Street Row) of a mid 19th century date, now divided into three narrow properties of which No 43-45 form the northern two bays. The front facade is of English bond brown brick with black brick, The Row level shop front is modern with a central recessed doorway. At first floor level there are two large 6 pane sash windows in each bay. Black brick below the window create a diaper pattern with vertical lines separating the bays. At second floor level the window is a four pane sash with elaborate gables above. The interior is entirely modern and of little interest. The Row walkway consists of a Row walk 2.08m wide and a stallboard 1.87m wide. The upper floors are supported by a brick pier at the north end with two cast iron mid 19th century columns at the centre and to the south. The Row front has a simple iron railing. 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.