Gamul House
Encyclopedia
Gamul House is at 52–58 Lower Bridge Street, Chester
, Cheshire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building, and contains the only medieval
stone-built open hall
to survive in Chester.
the house was the home of Sir Francis Gamul, a Royalist
supporter and colonel of the Town Guard. Charles I
stayed in the house on 23–24 September 1645, when his army was defeated at Battle of Rowton Moor
.
Following the Great Fire of London
the town Assembly ruled in 1671 that all the houses in the main streets should have roofs of slate or tile. The medieval frontage of Gamul House was replaced by a brick façade
, but the hall was retained. In the 18th century the stone arches in the undercroft were replaced by brick vaults
. During the following century this area was occupied by shops. For a time it housed a boarding school but this closed in the 1860s. In the 20th century the house became unoccupied and neglected; when Nikolaus Pevsner
visited Chester in the late 1960s he reported that it looked derelict. It was bought by Chester City Council and during the 1970s a major refurbishment took place. As of 2009 the building is occupied by a restaurant and shops..
and timber framing
, with a brick frontage and has three storeys. The lowest storey (an undercroft
) is occupied by shops. An external staircase parallel to the street has 15 steps leading up to the former row
level. Behind the staircase at street level is another shop frontage consisting of a door with a four-light window on each side. The middle storey has a door with an architrave
and pediment. There are three windows to the south of the door and two windows to the north, all with 40 panes of glass. Above these is a string course
. In the top storey are three oval windows with four panes and two sash window
s with six panes. The roof is in grey slate with its ridge parallel to the street; it is hipped
at its north end and at the south end is a gable
and a chimney stack.
s. At the row level, the great hall
occupies the two storeys. On the west wall of the hall is an ornate sandstone fireplace with decorated pilaster
s carrying a carved frieze
and cornice
. On the fireplace is a painting of the arms
of the Gamul family, which Pevsner considers was executed by Randle Holme
. The barrel-vaulted plaster ceiling has eight richly-carved pendants.
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 II* listed building, and contains the only 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...
stone-built open hall
Hall
In architecture, a hall is fundamentally a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age, a mead hall was such a simple building and was the residence of a lord and his retainers...
to survive in Chester.
History
The date of its original building is not known but it was altered in the 17th, 18th and 20th centuries. At the time of the Civil WarEnglish Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
the house was the home of Sir Francis Gamul, 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 and colonel of the Town Guard. Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
stayed in the house on 23–24 September 1645, when his army was defeated at Battle of Rowton Moor
Battle of Rowton Heath
The Battle of Rowton Heath occurred on 24 September 1645 during the English Civil War between the Parliamentarians, commanded by Sydnam Poyntz, and the Royalists under the personal command of King Charles I...
.
Following the Great Fire of London
Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall...
the town Assembly ruled in 1671 that all the houses in the main streets should have roofs of slate or tile. The medieval frontage of Gamul House was replaced by a brick façade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
, but the hall was retained. In the 18th century the stone arches in the undercroft were replaced by brick vaults
Vault (architecture)
A Vault is an architectural term for an arched form used to provide a space with a ceiling or roof. The parts of a vault exert lateral thrust that require a counter resistance. When vaults are built underground, the ground gives all the resistance required...
. During the following century this area was occupied by shops. For a time it housed a boarding school but this closed in the 1860s. In the 20th century the house became unoccupied and neglected; when Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
visited Chester in the late 1960s he reported that it looked derelict. It was bought by Chester City Council and during the 1970s a major refurbishment took place. As of 2009 the building is occupied by a restaurant and shops..
Exterior
The building 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,...
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 a brick frontage and has three storeys. The lowest storey (an 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...
) is occupied by shops. An external staircase parallel to the street has 15 steps leading up to the former row
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...
level. Behind the staircase at street level is another shop frontage consisting of a door with a four-light window on each side. The middle storey has a door with an architrave
Architrave
An architrave is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of the columns. It is an architectural element in Classical architecture.-Classical architecture:...
and pediment. There are three windows to the south of the door and two windows to the north, all with 40 panes of glass. Above these is a string course
Course (architecture)
A course is a continuous horizontal layer of similarly-sized building material one unit high, usually in a wall. The term is almost always used in conjunction with unit masonry such as brick, cut stone, or concrete masonry units .-Styles:...
. In the top storey are three oval windows with four panes and two sash window
Sash window
A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels or "sashes" that form a frame to hold panes of glass, which are often separated from other panes by narrow muntins...
s with six panes. The roof is in grey slate with its ridge parallel to the street; it is hipped
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
at its north end and at the south end is 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...
and a chimney stack.
Interior
The undercroft contains a large oak beam and brick barrel vaultBarrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design...
s. At the row level, the great hall
Great hall
A great hall is the main room of a royal palace, nobleman's castle or a large manor house in the Middle Ages, and in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries. At that time the word great simply meant big, and had not acquired its modern connotations of excellence...
occupies the two storeys. On the west wall of the hall is an ornate sandstone fireplace with decorated pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s carrying a carved frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
and cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
. On the fireplace is a painting of the arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of the Gamul family, which Pevsner considers was executed by Randle Holme
Randle Holme
Randle Holme was a name shared by members of four successive generations of a family who lived in Chester, Cheshire, England from the late years of the 16th century to the early years of the 18th century. They were all herald painters and genealogists and were members of the Stationers' Company of...
. The barrel-vaulted plaster ceiling has eight richly-carved pendants.