Building record 10611 - Chester Rows: 48-50 Lower Bridge Street Old Kings Head

No 48-50 Lower Bridge Street, also known as the Old King’s Head public house, is a three storey stone and timber frame house with a jettied gabled end to street. It is three bays wide, at ground level a door is in the left bay with a three light mullioned window to the right and a Tudor arced door in the central bay.

The earliest reference to a stone built house on this site dates to 1208 and it possible that the thick stone walls of the cellar in the current building are of this period. Above this is a timber framed jettied wing of possible 15th century date although the principal part of the building is probably late 16th century. Major renovations were carried out in 1935 when the present facade was built. A second facade onto Castle Street can be divided into three ranges; the front range is a 19th century brick built single bay range overlying the original stonework of which only a single course survives on the exterior. The central section retains the original stonework up to first floor level with timber framing above. The right range is the later timber framed building with a jettied gable end facing Castle Street. At street level the timber framing of this range has been significantly altered through the insertion of modern windows and the removal of several beams.

The stone cellars at street level are situated to the west of the main 16th century timber framed range and partially below the 15th century wing. There is evidence of significant levels of modern masonry that suggest a series of small spaces rather than the more usual large medieval undercrofts typical of Chester. Of note is a heavily plastered round headed arch of rough construction that may have been associated with an external doorway in the original structure. The timber framed part of the undercroft includes a Samson post arcade running north south dividing a space 15.90m by 10.95m into two aisles. A fireplace on the east wall is a later insertion in the 16th or early 17th century.

The former Row level appears to form a continuation of the Samson post arcade of the timber framed undercroft level again creating two aisles. The basic structure of this level appears to consist of a Row screened off from a range of shallow units with a separate hall like space behind that did not extend into the floor above. There is little evidence of original decoration.

The first floor above Row level consists of the roof space with a number of original roof trusses recorded in situ, the floor is original. The plan of this floor suggests two bays of the long range parallel to Lower Bridge Street are narrower than that of the right angle range although the purpose for this is uncertain. The evidence recorded from this survey suggests that the entire frame from the street level to roof level in both the parallel and the right angled range is of one construction. (1)

Samples taken for dendrochronological analysis were inconclusive as the timber used in construction appear to be from fairly young traces with a fast growth habit (2)

<1> Chester Archaeology, 1985-1990, Chester Rows Research Project Archive, CHER 10611 (Paper Archive). SCH6789.

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

<3> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Digital Archive). SCH4666.