Numbers 22 And 24 Street

Numbers 22 and 24 Street are a complex of medieval undercrofts, altered in the 18th century, and a townhouse rebuilt probably in the 18th century and around 1840. The buildings were converted to electricity showrooms and offices in 1924 by P.H. Lawson for Chester City Council, William Vernon and Sons Ltd. being the builders with a contract sum of £390. Further alterations occurred in 1930 when F.C. Saxon refronted the lower two storeys, enlarged the showrooms, and moved the offices, again undertaken by William Vernon and Sons, with a contract sum of £3,980. Internal refurbishment took place in 1989-90 for the Merseyside and North Wales Electricity Board, with Leonard Fairclough Ltd. as the builders.

The exterior is constructed of brown brick in a Flemish bond pattern on the front elevation, and a grey slate roof. The building has cellars and four storeys. Originally, the frontage to Northgate Street resembled that of numbers 44 and 46 and 48 and 50 Northgate Street, as well as 54 and 56 Watergate Street, including steps to the former Row level in a tall recessed porch; the porch was removed during the 1924 or 1930 alterations. The face of the upper two storeys is likely from the early 19th century, as depicted in an engraving by G. Batenham circa 1820. The facade of the lower two storeys provides a rare example of an inter-war municipal electricity showroom. It features a reconstructed stone surround with corrugated outer moulding, inscribed with "CITY OF CHESTER" in raised Roman capitals. The ground-floor shopfront has been replaced. The second-story showroom has a continuous window of five lights with raised serpentine mouldings on the painted metal pilaster mullions; the moulded metal sill is largely concealed behind the modern shop fascia. The third storey has a plain sillband, a central recessed 12-pane sash in a stucco architrave, and tripartite sashes of 4:12:4 panes each side, featuring a stucco-faced wedge lintel. The fourth storey is similar but with painted stone sills, a central 9-pane sash, and tripartite sashes of 3:9:3 panes. A moulded cornice tops the parapet. The rear of the building extends the lower two storeys backward; the rear gable of the upper storeys has two replaced windows per storey, set within what are likely Georgian openings, and includes a former loading-eye.

Internally, there are two parallel undercrofts, now cellars, with medieval side, party, and front walls made of coursed rubble sandstone. The party wall is 0.85 metres thick. The undercrofts contain 18th-century brick barrel vaults that run back from the street. The south undercroft measures 6.5 metres by 4.0 metres and has a central altered front opening. The north undercroft is 6.5 metres by 4.0 metres and features medieval jambs to the central front opening. Each undercroft possibly had its own steps to the street, later replaced by a small chamber encroaching on the street. To the rear, the party wall and barrel vaults have been removed, concealing the side walls. No internal features of particular interest were found above the former undercrofts.