Description

CHESTER CITY (IM)

SJ4065NE LOWER BRIDGE STREET
595-1/6/237 (West side)
28/07/55 Nos.52-58 (Even)
(Formerly Listed as:
LOWER BRIDGE STREET
(West side)
Nos 52-60 (even) & No 1 Gamull
Terrace (Gamull House))

GV II*

Includes: No.1 Gamull House GAMULL TERRACE.
Town house, then shops, school and hall, now cafe, 3 shops and
restaurant. Medieval not closely datable, altered C17, C18 and
C20. Sandstone, some timber framing and brown brick in
irregular bond; grey slate roof, ridge parallel with front,
hipped to north and gabled with stack to south.
EXTERIOR: undercroft at street level, great hall of 2-storey
height at former Row level and service wing of 2 storeys.
3 small one-storey shops, probably C18 altered, are built
against the southern bays of the undercroft and have no
visible external features of special interest. An external
stair parallel with the front has 15 stone steps leading to an
access gallery in place of former Row to Gamul House and
property south; simple parapet. The bay north of stair has
replaced small-pane door in a camber-arched brick opening with
a camber-arched 4-pane window to each side; a little painted
stonework and painted brickwork. The second storey has
recessed door to the great hall in a case of fielded panels
with egg-and-dart architrave; replaced tall windows of 40
panes, 3 south and 2 north of the door. String of one brick
course oversailing 2 courses; 2 high-level 4-pane oval windows
south of door and one above the door; 2 small 6-pane sashes to
upper storey of service wing north of door.
The rear is faced in probably C19 brickwork. Stack on south
gable.
INTERIOR: the undercroft has large longitudinal oak beam with
reset joists, some replaced. The shops have brick barrel
vaults of C18 type. The great hall has 3-board oak door on
iron hinges opposite entrance, marking former screens passage,
doorway with 0.29m step up at east end of south wall to former
solar; the wall has part of 2 oak rails exposed and moulded
tie-beam; there are 2 high-level casements of 3 lights, now
blocked, one with mullions replaced in oak, the other with
ovolo mouldings matching doorway to former solar, apparently
C15. The west wall has an ornate sandstone open fireplace of

early C17 character with bulgy decorated pilasters carrying
carved frieze and cornice; the screens passage door is north
and there is a later secondary door south of the fireplace; a
high-level 3-light stone-mullioned casement south of
fireplace. The north wall has part of a rail exposed and a
moulded tie-beam as that to south. 4 early C17 carved consoles
carry an apron shelf, unexplained, high above the fireplace.
The barrel-vaulted plaster ceiling, probably replaced, is
simple, but with 8 richly-carved pendants visible, presumably
hanging from concealed trusses.
Surfaces are covered in the service wings.
(Chester Rows Research Project: Grenville J: Lower Bridge
Street, West: 1988-; Bartholomew City Guides: Harris B:
Chester: Edinburgh: 1979-: 138).

Listing NGR: SJ4060465928

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Gamul House at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q5520415

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

• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)