Description

CHESTER CITY (IM)

SJ4066SE BRIDGE STREET AND ROW
595-1/4/54 (West side)
10/01/72 No.52 Street
(Formerly Listed as:
BRIDGE STREET
(West side)
No.52)
(Formerly Listed as:
WHITEFRIARS
No.2)

GV II

Includes: No.2 WHITE FRIARS.
Undercroft and town house, now shop and office, on site of the
service bay of the large medieval town house whose hall is in
Nos 48 & 50 Bridge Street (qv); above undercroft level the
service wing was demolished for a Georgian Town House,
probably c1760; some C20 alterations. Brown brick in Flemish
bond to Bridge Street and English garden wall bond to White
Friars; grey slate roof at right-angle to Bridge Street,
hipped to front.
EXTERIOR: 4 storeys. The shopfront to Bridge Street is late
C20. The second storey, replacing the Row, has 2 nearly flush
12-pane sashes with painted stone sills, rusticated wedge
lintels and fluted keystones; the third storey has 2 similar
but taller sashes; the fourth storey has a central tripartite
sash of 3;9;3 panes; painted stone cornice; low, lead-covered
parapet.
The long south face to White Friars has cast-iron vents and a
small-paned window to the cellars; the first storey has a
short return of the shopfront, the entrance to No.2 White
Friars has 4 stone steps to door of 5 fielded panels, a looped
radial-bar fanlight in a pedimented doorcase with fluted
pilasters and a short internal stair to the stair-hall; nearly
flush sashes with painted stone sills and cambered brick
heads, one of 12 panes and three, tripartite, of 4;12;4 panes,
one being taller; the third storey has a 12-pane sash, a tall
sash to the stair with a 12-pane lower leaf and a 15-pane
upper leaf, a tripartite sash of 4;12;4 panes and a 12-pane
sash; the fourth storey has a 4-pane sash and two 9-pane
sashes; a lead rainwater pipe and head; a stone-capped
parapet; a large lateral chimney near the Bridge Street corner
and a chimney set back near the rear.
INTERIOR: the cellar to No.52 Bridge Street, rock-cut, is
largely Georgian with Flemish bond brickwork, but has some

medieval stonework in rear wall; the basement of No.2 White
Friars at former undercroft level is largely Georgian with
brick barrel-vaults and brick-arched wine-bin; chamfered
joists. No.2 White Friars occupies the whole of each storey at
former Row level and above.
The second (formerly Row) storey, front room has a rehung
broad 5-panel door, panelled dado and embrasures, a Greek
Doric fireplace and a plaster cornice; a C20 partition. The
second room has a 5-panel door, simple panelled dado, blocked
corner fire-breast and plaster cornice. The stair-hall has a
round archway with panelled pilasters and moulded
arch-arrises, to the front passage; the open-string stair has
a narrow open well, open string, shaped brackets, fluted
newels, 2 stick balusters per step, swept rail and probably
altered dado with fluted pilasters. The room behind the stair
has chimney-breast, rail but no panels to dado, fitted
cupboard in chimney-corner and 2 chamfered oak beams. the next
room has a painted chamfered beam.
The third-storey front room has panelled window-embrasures and
plaster cornice; the second room has a 5-panelled door, corner
fireplace, simple dado panelling and plaster cornice; the
landing has archway to front passage as in the second storey;
the room behind the stair has 5-panel door, embrasures with
panelled shutters, fireplace and plaster cornice; the 2 small
back rooms have 5-panel doors.
The fourth-storey front room has a 5-panel door and a
chamfered softwood beam hacked as key for former plaster; the
second room has a 5-panel door, corner fireplace and two
5-panel doors towards the stair; the room behind the stair has
a 5-panel door and fitted cupboards in the chimney-corners;
the next room has 5-panel doors to passage and back room; the
2 small back rooms have 5-panel doors; that to the north has a
cast-iron Gothick window with inset 4-pane opening light. Some
HL hinges and old latches. Parallel-sided glazing bars and
features including oak beams suggest that part of the building
may be early C18.
(Chester Rows Research Project: Harris R: Archive, Bridge
Street East: 1989-).

Listing NGR: SJ4053966112

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26656765

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)