Building record 10594/1 - Chester Rows : 61 Bridge Street

<1> Chester Archaeology, 1985-1990, Chester Rows Research Project Archive, CHER 10594 (Paper Archive). SCH6789.

No 61 Bridge Street is a stone undercroft, currently in use as a shop, of probable medieval origin with later alterations in the 18th century.

The front facade is entirely modern while the interior is largely clad in modern material. Some segmental vaults of an 18th century date remain to the rear of the undercroft however. During renovation within the property in 1988, however, several features of medieval date were recorded including a doorway against the east wall and some stonework.

<2> Brown. A. (ed), 1999, The Rows of Chester: The Chester Rows Research Project (Book). SCH6790.

<3> L - P Archaeology, 2004, Archaeological Building Recording of 61 Bridge Street, Chester, R2530 (Client Report). SCH4561.

<4> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

SJ4066SE BRIDGE STREET AND ROW 595-1/4/78 (East side) 28/07/55 No.61 Street and Nos.71 & 73 Row (Formerly Listed as: BRIDGE STREET No.61 Street & Nos.71 & 73 Row)

Probably 2 undercrofts and town houses, then undercroft shop and town house, now undercroft shop, Row shop and storage. Medieval, rebuilt from Row upward c1760, altered C20. Flemish bond brown brick with grey slate roof, ridge at right angle to street and hipped to front. EXTERIOR: 4 storeys including undercroft and Row, probably 2 medieval bays converted to one C18. Modern shopfront to street has end-piers covered. The Row front has rendered end-piers, 2 cast-iron Roman Doric intermediate columns and timber rail on stout turned balusters; altered boarded stallboard 1.67m from front to back, now scarcely sloped, with 2 steps down to flagged Row walk. The modern shopfront has a blocked C19 door south and a glazed modern door; plaster ceiling sloping down from Row-front to shop; large Row-top bressumer has modillions to a former cornice. Brick upper storeys have painted stone sills and rusticated wedge lintels to replaced horned 12-pane recessed sashes; full cornice of painted stone and tall brick parapet with plain coping; a lateral chimney set back, north. INTERIOR: the front part of the undercroft, 3 steps down from the pavement, is lined, with no features visible; the back part is paired, with the south chamber under a C18 brick barrel-vault, now plastered. Observations during refurbishment in July 1988 revealed medieval stone walls with a doorway and fair east face to the present back wall, suggesting a similar rear undercroft chamber to that in No.57 Street (qv). The Row storey has some reused C17 oak beams. The 6-flight open-well open-string stair behind the blocked south door, the lower 3 flights not presently in use, has softwood treads and risers, carved brackets, turned newels, 3 column-on-vase balusters per step, swept rail and, up to the third storey, dado pilasters and rail and landing balustrade to the now floored well. A later one-flight stair to the third storey looks late Georgian, but altered, with steps covered, turned newel, closed string, stick balusters and rail swept only to the bottom newel. The third-storey landing to the older stair has 3 doorways with shouldered architraves, doors to the front chamber and rear wing removed but to the second room of 6 fielded panels. The front chamber over the Row has a panelled doorway, well-panelled embrasures, an integral cast-iron grate-and-mantel and a substantial cornice to west, south and east walls; a probably brought-in stop-chamfered C17 beam over entrance to rear wing. The fourth storey front room has a cast-iron grate in a damaged surround with mantel cut off; a door of 3 broad boards on butterfly hinges.

<5> John Moore Heritage Services, 2012, Building Assessment on 61 Bridge Street, Chester, R4013 (Client Report). SCH8235.

Building assessment carried out on 61 Bridge Street, Chester, in August 2012, to ascertain the date of construction of two walls at the rear of the property which may be altered through the insertion of ducting in order to transform the unit into a restaurant. The results indicated that neither the areas of the upstairs or downstairs wall concerned are of particularly old date and probably 19th century at the earliest.