39 Bridge Street, Chester
Encyclopedia
39 Bridge Street is a building in Chester
, Cheshire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building, its major archaeological feature being the remains of a Roman
hypocaust
in its cellar.
The building has four storeys, with a shop at street level and a portion of Chester Rows
in the storey above. The hypocaust in the cellar dates to the 2nd century during the Roman occupation of Chester. In the late 13th or early 14th century a medieval
undercroft
was built adjacent to the hypocaust, with a house above. In 1864 a new floor was inserted at street level and a shop front was added in the 20th century. The ground floor is now used as a café. The remains of the hypocaust were found during the reconstruction of the property in 1864. They consist of 27 square columns in a rectangular chamber which originally contained 32 columns in eight rows of four.
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade I listed building, its major archaeological feature being the remains of a Roman
Roman architecture
Ancient Roman architecture adopted certain aspects of Ancient Greek architecture, creating a new architectural style. The Romans were indebted to their Etruscan neighbors and forefathers who supplied them with a wealth of knowledge essential for future architectural solutions, such as hydraulics...
hypocaust
Hypocaust
A hypocaust was an ancient Roman system of underfloor heating, used to heat houses with hot air. The word derives from the Ancient Greek hypo meaning "under" and caust-, meaning "burnt"...
in its cellar.
The building has four storeys, with a shop at street level and a portion of Chester Rows
Chester Rows
Chester Rows consist of covered walkways at the first floor behind which are entrances to shops and other premises. At street level is another set of shops and other premises, many of which are entered by going down a few steps...
in the storey above. The hypocaust in the cellar dates to the 2nd century during the Roman occupation of Chester. In the late 13th or early 14th century a medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
undercroft
Undercroft
An undercroft is traditionally a cellar or storage room, often brick-lined and vaulted, and used for storage in buildings since medieval times. In modern usage, an undercroft is generally a ground area which is relatively open to the sides, but covered by the building above.- History :While some...
was built adjacent to the hypocaust, with a house above. In 1864 a new floor was inserted at street level and a shop front was added in the 20th century. The ground floor is now used as a café. The remains of the hypocaust were found during the reconstruction of the property in 1864. They consist of 27 square columns in a rectangular chamber which originally contained 32 columns in eight rows of four.