Details
CHESTER CITY (IM)
SJ4066NW KING STREET
595-1/1/205 (South side)
10/01/72 No.9
GV II
A broad-fronted town house incorporating a narrower late C17
or early C18 house; dated 1783, altered. Lined render; grey
slate roof.
EXTERIOR: cellars and 3 storeys. Painted stone plinth; central
doorway altered early C20 has door of 6 fielded panels with
leaded overlight and sidelights of obscured glass with a
fielded panel beneath each sidelight, in a panelled case with
incised pattern on the face of each pilaster and hood with
moulded frieze and cornice; a broad 16-pane recessed sash with
exposed boxes and fascia to each side of door; a secondary
door of two 3-board panels and 6-pane overlight, east, and
double doors of 3 flush panels with 8-pane overlight, west. A
plain band at second storey floor: 5 recessed 12-pane sashes
with exposed boxes and fascias; 3 shorter windows of 6 panes
to third storey; lead rainwater head and pipe, west, inscribed
E: TM: 1783; moulded cornice.
The rear of brown brick projects in 3 successive stages from
the east: the east portion has a lean-to roof, with an added
glasshouse against the lower storey, 2 nearly flush 12-pane
sashes to the second storey and, above the lean-to roof, a
small 6-pane window to the attic; the middle portion, under a
catslide roof, has 12 panes above a fielded cross panel, a
nearly flush tripartite sash of 4:12:4 panes to the second
storey and a stone-coped parapet; the west bay has canted
corners, 2 recessed 12-pane sashes to the first storey, 2 tall
recessed 15-pane sashes to the second storey and a
stone-capped parapet; 3 chimneys on the rear roof-slope.
INTERIOR: the central entrance with stair-hall behind has
front and back room to each side flanked by the narrow hall of
each secondary entrance. Rooms east of the entrance have late
C17 and early C18 elements; the hall, stair and west rooms are
largely late C18, but front sashes may be earlier.
The cellar has concreted floor, bedrock at the base of the
rear wall and walls of random rubble and coursed sandstone and
later brick-work with evidence of a former direct access from
the street; 2 chamfered beams and a lintel of oak, probably
re-used; stone steps from lobby east of stair hall.
The hall has 4-leaf folding screen with Chinois patterned
panels and a looped radial-bar fanlight of wood in a
basket-arched opening to the stair. The west front room has a
door of 6 margined panels in a case with broad architraves;
the sash, as in other front rooms, has thickish parallel-sided
glazing bars with pronounced mouldings; base panel to
embrasure and panelled shutters, each with a narrow leaf
folding against the jamb and a broad leaf against the wall;
chimney breast against west wall: 2-tier cupboard with fielded
panels to upper double doors; a plaster-skimmed tongue-stopped
chamfered beam running backward; cornice. The west rear room
has a 6-panel door, 2 embrasures with base panels and panelled
shutters, a chimney-breast against the west wall and a
cornice. The secondary hall, far west, has a boxed inner porch
with door of 5 panels having reeded stiles, rails and muntin
and a back door of 6 fielded panels. The east front room has a
splayed embrasure, a stop-chamfered bressumer to the former
inglenook against the west wall and a tongue-stopped chamfered
oak beam running backward; the base is visible to the corner
flue to the rooms above. The rear east room, now the kitchen,
has no visible features of interest. The secondary hall, far
east, has old gudgeon hinges and door furniture of iron. The
stair hall has a door of 6 flush panels to the kitchen, cellar
door of 3 ledges on 5 plain braces, panelling beneath the
open-well open-string stair with shaped brackets, curtail step
and swept rail probably of oak on 2 stick balusters per step.
The second storey landing has 6-panel doors and a moulded
cornice; the rear east room, now bathroom and WC, is from the
quarter-landing 4 steps down, and the front rooms via a short
passage and 3 steps down. The bathroom and WC have doors of 12
and 6 panels probably remade from C17 elements. The front west
room has a door of 5 fielded panels on L hinges, a replaced
fireplace, west and a ceiling of 3 panels with 2 flat
rectangular beams and moulded cornices. The front east room
has door of 5 fielded panels, a late Georgian cast-iron
fireplace in a corner breast and 2 tongue-stopped chamfered
beams.
The third storey reached by a plain stair under a short-span
roof has 3-board doors to west and east rooms, panelled on
inner faces in 2 rows of 3 panels, the east door having 4
moulded braces. The roof has purlins, one unwrought and a
cross-wall with evidence of a former steeper roof with lower
ridge.
The probable sequence of development is east wing 1720 or
earlier; front portion of west wing mid C18 or earlier; stair
and rear west wing 1783 or later.
Listing NGR: SJ4037766574
