37, 39 And 41, Lower Bridge Street

CHESTER CITY (IM)

SJ4065NE LOWER BRIDGE STREET 595-1/6/256 (East side) 28/07/55 Nos.37, 39 AND 41 (Formerly Listed as: LOWER BRIDGE STREET (East side) Nos.37 AND 39 Park House)

GV II

Formerly known as: The County Library LOWER BRIDGE STREET. Town house, then hotel, later library, now licensed premises and shop, with upper storeys and rear wing in course of repair and alteration when inspected in February 1991. 1717, with late C18 rear wing, altered C20. For Elizabeth Booth. Rendered brick to front, brown brick to rear and grey slate roof, that to main block with ridge parallel with front. EXTERIOR: semi-basement and 3 storeys; 5 windows. No.37 is the half-basement shop, north, No.39 the upper 3 storeys and No.41 the half-basement wine bar, south. Symmetrical front. 4 steps down to north forecourt, 2 steps down to south forecourt. The central entrance has projecting Tuscan porch with 7 repaired steps to landing between curved wing-walls of painted stone; 4 steps from landing to entrance. The shop and wine-bar have renewed small-pane fronts. Rusticated quoins. Main door of 6 fielded panels; 2 flush 8-pane sashes with apron sills and keystones to each side. The second storey has 5 flush 12-pane sashes with painted stone sills and keys. Cornice; lateral chimneys. The rear fenestration was in course of repair when inspected. INTERIOR: the semi-basement of No.37 has 2 rough beams at right-angles to the front; No.41, which occupies the south and rear parts of the semi-basement, has 3 stone walls parallel with the front, and joists on large almost square beams. The 3 main storeys could not fully be inspected. The broad dogleg stair north of the central hall has open string with carved brackets, 3 fluted balusters per step and swept rail. The following features were noted on inspection in 1988: skirting, picture-rail and cornice in north front room; doors of 6 fielded panels; cornice in entrance hall; 2 basket arches; a closed-string back stair with bulbous shafts and disc knops; back rooms altered; a barrel-vaulted ballroom in the rear wing, refloored in 1991, an ante-room with panelled plaster ceiling. The second storey of the main block has round-arched keyed and imposted doorways; no features of

special interest were observed in the third storey. The ballroom is altered, and some other features replaced. (Chester Rows Research Project: Grenville J: Lower Bridge Street, East: 1988-).

Listing NGR: SJ4061165994