Building record 10615 - No 6 Lower Bridge Street, The Falcon

No 6 Lower Bridge Street consists of the surviving half a 13th century town house of a former galleried row type. The property was successfully enclosed in 1643 by Sir Richard Grosvenor. (1)

The town house appears to date to the late 12th century at the earliest with several significant phases of alteration in the later medieval period, the 16th century and again in the 20th century. It is constructed of rubble sandstone with timber framing and plaster panels, and some brick. The roof is of Welsh grey slate. The present structure includes a cellar and two upper storeys of two bays width. It originally extended further back, however, following the insertion of Grosvenor Street part of the rear of the building was demolished. (3)

Material of a late 12th century date has been recorded in the cellar ceiling, however, this appears to be re-used material from the demolished section of the building. The main bulk of the building of a 13th century date. (1)

The front facade has an undercroft of coursed red sandstone, much of which is now covered with modern render with no windows or access at this level. The storey above contains the now enclosed Row level and has close studwork with a wide leaded window. A modern set of 9 steps provide access to the property from street level. The first floor above former Row level has a jettied front with a row of 12 quatrefoil panels below a continuous 34 light leaded window with a return of a further 6 lights on the north face. A pair of gable ends above on 3 shaped brackets have moulded ties, herringbone struts, replaced moulded bargeboards and shaped finials. (3)

Although the timber frame is largely 16th century it was heavily restored by John Douglas in the late 19th century. The face to Grosvenor Street has a higher and older east portion and a lower 2-storey west wing, probably 1626 for Sir Richard Grosvenor. The east portion has sandstone wall to undercroft and Row storey, partly replaced in brick, and a leaded cross-window. A moulded jetty-beam on round-ended beams to the small-framed second storey, with one intermediate rail, two diagonal braces to face and one to the west return, the return of the continuous window to Lower Bridge Street and a leaded cross window. (1)

The medieval undercroft, now beer cellar, has a 2-bay north chamber and a parallel one-bay south chamber, formerly a single 3-bay undercroft. The north cellar has a massive oak central east-west beam on 3 samson posts with arched braces, one removed, on sandstone bases. 2 octagonal stone piers now joined by modern brick wall between north and south cellars; both cellars have outer walls of coursed rubble sandstone, repaired and altered in brick; the north cellar has blocked stone stair to street in east wall and replaced stair west; stone corbels in north wall and medieval joists over east part. The south cellar has medieval window-jamb in east wall, opening with depressed arch of 2 stones to recess with remains of spiral stair in west wall, a cupboard recess in south wall, stone corbels and repositioned medieval joists. Main timbers in the cellars dated c1180 are reused, from a former scissor-braced truss over the east portion of the early medieval town house. (2)

Samples taken for dendrochronological dating returned dates from the 11th to 13th century from the undercroft. (2)

The Row storey front room has 2, of possibly formerly 4, sandstone Row piers, chimney breast of stone and brick, north, dragon-beam and joists. The centre room north has corner fireplace, breast shared with front room, framed partitions with one intermediate rail, shared with the south room which has a south wall partly of sandstone. The west wing has a timber-framed south wall and north wall partly of stone. The timber-framed front second storey room has dado panelling and a fluted square cast-iron central column. The centre rooms show some timber framing. (2)

It was remarked that the house represents one of the most complete examples of a late medieval row house with traces of the earlier plan still surviving in its design. (4)

<1> Brown. A. (ed), 1999, The Rows of Chester: The Chester Rows Research Project (Book). SCH6790.

<2> Lawson, P H and J T Smith, 1958, The Rows of Chester: Two Interpretations, No 6 (Montgomery Tomlinson) (Article in Journal). SCH5750.

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

<4> Hewitt, John, 1887, Notes on the Medieval Architecture of Chester, with Special Reference to the Rows and the Crypts, p36 (Article in Journal). SCH5536.