Building record 10685 - New Common Hall (Former St Nicholas' Chapel), St Werburgh Street

In 1539, what had been the Chapel for the Guild of St Nicholas (CHER 10640/15) , in St Werburgh St., was leased to the city to be used as the Common Hall. The lower floor was used for storage while the upper room was used as a senate house for the assemblies, elections and the courts of the king, held before the mayor, recorder and aldermen every six weeks and for the court of record of the city (the prentice court) held every three weeks and the county court (4). In 1773, the building became the New Theatre (CHER 10686), and later was used for shops. An engraving from 1854 in CCL shows that what remained of the medieval work of the building at that time was in very ruinous condition. What survives of the medieval work today can be seen on the south side where there are four buttresses c 3m high, projecting c 1m, the most westerly of which is incorporated into a later building built onto the south wall of the chapel. Four seventeenth century windows which have been blocked by later brickwork show the remains of an outer moulding. Immediately west of modern entrance on the south is the outline of a large blocked window with moulded surround. On the north side is a blocked window behind a diagonal buttress. Immediately to the west of modern eastern entrance are portions of at least two more blocked windows showing above rooftops of an adjoining building. Unfortunately, nothing of original fabric is visible inside (2). Finally, the gothic front is by Harrison (6). Please see the linked listed building description for structural detail (13).

<1> Burne, R. V. H., 1962, The Monks of Chester. The History of St Werburgh's Abbey (Book). SCH3213.

<2> English Heritage, Various, Old/Original Schedule Entry (Scheduled Ancient Monuments Description), /No.35 (Scheduling Record). SCH4606.

<3> Harris, B.E. (ed), 1987, Victoria County History - A History of the County of Chester: Volume I, 3/132-146 Harris B 1980 (Book). SCH3556.

<4> Morris, Rupert H (Rev.), 1894, Chester in the Plantagenet & Tudor Reigns, /202-203 (Book). SCH946.

<5> Harris, B.E., 1979, Bartholomew City Guides - Chester, /56 (Book). SCH394.

<6> Pevsner N & Hubbard E, 1971, The Buildings of England: Cheshire, /162-163 (Book). SCH3078.

<7> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ46NW49/1964 (Index). SCH2487.

<8> Gastrell F, 1845-1850, Notitia Cestriensis, or historical notices of the diocese of Chester, Gastrell F 1845/112 & 114 (Article in Journal). SCH2290.

<9> Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Revised List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, City of Chester Inter Mural 1998/319 (Unpublished Report). SCH4570.

<10> Blomfield, M. A (Reverand Canon), 1854, History of St Nicholas' Chapel (Article in Journal). SCH5507.

<11> 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.

<12> English Heritage, Various, Schedule Entry (Scheduled Ancient Monuments Amendment), /No.35 (Scheduling Record). SCH2950.

<13> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 470345 (Digital Archive). SCH4666.