Monument record 10641/3 - Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary - Deanery

The Deanery was previously the site of the Chapel of St Thomas the Apostle (CHER 10640/10), and would later become the Bishop’s House (1 Abbey Square, CHER 10658). – For much of the post medieval period, until 1921, parts of the former medieval chapel and the house that succeeded it, served as the Deanery for the cathedral (8). The secondary use of the chapel involved alterations; some idea of these may be gained from the one known depiction of the Deanery, drawn during the eighteenth century (7). The windows depicted on the drawing, including dormers in the roof, indicate that two floors had been inserted into the nave. The windows themselves were rectangular and of sixteenth to early seventeenth century in style. The windows of the lowest floor only just protrude above the ground level, showing that a considerable increase in ground level on the south side of the building had already occurred by this time (CHER 10647). The chancel appears to have been rebuilt as a two storey structure. Dean Bridgeman, 1660 – 1682 is recorded as having repairs the Dean’s House, and these modifications of the former chapel may have been his (8). The Deanery was partially demolished in 1791, and the ‘new mansion’ (CHER 10658) was built on the site.

<1> Burne, R. V. H., 1958, Chester Cathedral: from its founding by Henry VIII to the accession of Queen Victoria (Book). SCH4878.

<2> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 470389 (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

<3> Hicklin, John, 1850, Christian Monuments (Article in Journal). SCH5497.

<4> Rickman, Thomas, 1864, On the Architectural History of Chester Cathedral (Article in Journal). SCH5516.

<5> R.C.H., 1868, Notes on recent discoveries in Chester Cathedral (Article in Journal). SCH6529.

<6> Scott G.G, 1885, Architectural History of Chester Cathedral (Article in Journal). SCH6419.

<7> Lewis C.P & Thacker A.T. (eds), 2005, Victoria County History - A History of the County of Chester: Volume Vii, The City of Chester - The City of Chester, Culture, Buildings, Institutions (Book). SCH6522.

<8> Chester Archaeology, 1998, The Bishop's House, 1 Abbey Street, Chester: Archaeological Watching Brief, R2694 (Client Report). SCH4802.