Building record 10586/2 - Chester Rows : 49 Bridge Street Row

No 49 Bridge Street Row is a well preserved 17th century narrow timber framed town house with a rear extension of a 20th century date. The front facade is a heavily restored mid 17th century timber frame with close studwork and five fields of quatrefoil decoration at first floor level although the Row level shop front is modern. A modern mullion and transom window occupies the central part of the first floor facade over which the second floor is slightly jettied with a three light mullion window. The interior is largely modern clad, however there is a good 17th century plaster ceiling at Row level and an 18th century staircase to the rear. At first floor level there are several original 17th century features including a several sections of carved panels and console brackets. A door in the second floor also appears to be 17th century. The Row walkway consists of a Row walk 2.04m wide and a stallboard 2.02m wide. The upper floors are supported by mid 17th century restored bay posts to the north and south with a wooden baluster towards the Row 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.