Cowper House
Encyclopedia
Cowper House is a former town house at 12 Bridge Street, Chester
, Cheshire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building, and it incorporates a section of the Chester Rows
.
. It was built above undercroft
s dating from 1350–75, or possibly earlier. Alterations have been made to the building in the 19th and 20th centuries. Thomas Cowper had been mayor
of Chester in 1641–42 and a Royalist
supporter in the Civil War
. The rear undercroft was excavated in 1839, and it is thought that the front undercroft is older than that in the rear.
, brick, and timber framing
with plaster panels. The roof is of grey slate
. It has four storeys and a gable
overlooking the street. The street level consists of a modern shop front on the right of which is a flight of 11 stone steps leading to the Row level above. At the Row level is another modern shop front. Between this and the street is a walkway, a sloping stallboard and a rail with baluster
s overlooking the street. Above the Row opening is a carved fascia
. In the storey above is a window running almost the whole width of the building. Its frame projects from the wall and is carried on eight corbel
s. The window has 14 lights, is mullion
ed and transomed
, and contains leaded lights
. Below and on each side of the window are timber-framed panels. The top storey is jettied
. At its base is a bressummer
carved centrally with "•T•C•1664" (the initials are those of Thomas Cowper), on each side of which are carved patterns. The top storey has a ten-light mullioned and transomed casement window
containing leaded lights. Below the window are eight panels containing wooden carvings, and two similar panels are on each side of the window. Above the window are quadrant
-braced panels. The bargeboard
is decorated with carvings and at its peak is a finial
.
ed. At the far end is a three-light window. On the left side in the fifth bay is a stone stairway. In the third storey is a sandstone fireplace with a beam inscribed "TC 1661" on each side of a blank shield.
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, and it incorporates a section of the 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...
.
History
Cowper House was built in 1664, following the destruction of many buildings in Chester during the Civil WarEnglish Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. It was built above 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...
s dating from 1350–75, or possibly earlier. Alterations have been made to the building in the 19th and 20th centuries. Thomas Cowper had been mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Chester in 1641–42 and a Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
supporter in the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. The rear undercroft was excavated in 1839, and it is thought that the front undercroft is older than that in the rear.
Exterior
The house is constructed in sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, brick, and timber framing
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
with plaster panels. The roof is of grey slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
. It has four storeys and a gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
overlooking the street. The street level consists of a modern shop front on the right of which is a flight of 11 stone steps leading to the Row level above. At the Row level is another modern shop front. Between this and the street is a walkway, a sloping stallboard and a rail with baluster
Baluster
A baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, one of various forms of spindle in woodwork, made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, standing on a unifying footing, and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. Multiplied in this way, they form a...
s overlooking the street. Above the Row opening is a carved fascia
Fascia (architecture)
Fascia is a term used in architecture to refer to a frieze or band running horizontally and situated vertically under the roof edge or which forms the outer surface of a cornice and is visible to an outside observer...
. In the storey above is a window running almost the whole width of the building. Its frame projects from the wall and is carried on eight corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
s. The window has 14 lights, is mullion
Mullion
A mullion is a vertical structural element which divides adjacent window units. The primary purpose of the mullion is as a structural support to an arch or lintel above the window opening. Its secondary purpose may be as a rigid support to the glazing of the window...
ed and transomed
Transom (architectural)
In architecture, a transom is the term given to a transverse beam or bar in a frame, or to the crosspiece separating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it. Transom is also the customary U.S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece...
, and contains leaded lights
Leadlight
Leadlights or leaded lights are decorative windows made of small sections of glass supported in lead cames. The technique of creating windows using glass and lead came is discussed at lead came and copper foil glasswork...
. Below and on each side of the window are timber-framed panels. The top storey is jettied
Jettying
Jettying is a building technique used in medieval timber frame buildings in which an upper floor projects beyond the dimensions of the floor below. This has the advantage of increasing the available space in the building without obstructing the street...
. At its base is a bressummer
Bressummer
A bressummer, or breastsummer, in timber-building, is a beam in the outward part of the building, and the middle floors, into which the girders are framed...
carved centrally with "•T•C•1664" (the initials are those of Thomas Cowper), on each side of which are carved patterns. The top storey has a ten-light mullioned and transomed casement window
Casement window
A casement window is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a...
containing leaded lights. Below the window are eight panels containing wooden carvings, and two similar panels are on each side of the window. Above the window are quadrant
Quadrant (architecture)
Quadrant in architecture refers to a curve in a wall or a vaulted ceiling. Generally considered to be an arc of 90 degrees - one quarter of a circle, or a half of the more commonly seen architectural feature - a crescent....
-braced panels. The bargeboard
Bargeboard
Bargeboard is a board fastened to the projecting gables of a roof to give them strength and to mask, hide and protect the otherwise exposed end of the horizontal timbers or purlins of the roof to which they were attached...
is decorated with carvings and at its peak is a finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
.
Interior
Two steps lead down from the street to the front undercroft which is 16m long. At its rear, six steps lead down to the rear undercroft which is 13m long. This undercroft has six bays and is rib vaultRib vault
The intersection of two or three barrel vaults produces a rib vault or ribbed vault when they are edged with an armature of piped masonry often carved in decorative patterns; compare groin vault, an older form of vault construction...
ed. At the far end is a three-light window. On the left side in the fifth bay is a stone stairway. In the third storey is a sandstone fireplace with a beam inscribed "TC 1661" on each side of a blank shield.