St Oswald's Chambers, Chester
Encyclopedia
St Oswald's Chambers consists of a commercial property at 20–22 St Werburgh Street, Chester
, Cheshire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II listed building.
. In the mid-1890s St Werburgh Street had been widened and Douglas designed a terrace
of shops and a bank on the east side of the street, numbered 2–18
, and built between about 1895 and 1897. Widening the street had opened up the view of Chester Cathedral
from Eastgate Street, but beyond the terrace the view was partly obscured by structures belonging to the business of Dicksons, seed merchants and nurserymen. Douglas purchased the site to the north of the terrace and designed St Oswald's Chambers to be built in line with the terrace, and in a similar style, to enhance the view towards the cathedral.
; the main part of the lower storey is in red sandstone
, and the lower storey of the wing is in red Ruabon
brick. The roof is of Westmorland
green slate
. The main front of the building is on St Werburgh Street and faces west; a canted
corner leads to the south front in a side street. In the centre of the main front is an arched doorway with the date in the spandrel
s of the arch. Above it is a panel inscribed with the name of the building. To the left of the door is a mullion
ed and transomed
window and to the right is a shop window. In the corner is the door leading into the shop. The upper storey contains two casement window
s; that to the left has four lights and the other has three. Above each window is a dormer
gable
, each with a richly carved bargeboard
. On the corner, above the doorway, is a nine-light casement window, with three lights on each front and the other three lights across the corner. Over this is a short octagonal spire
, topped by a finial
and a weather vane
. The south face has a two-light window in the lower storey and a three-light window above. On the north side are one three-light and three four-light windows in each storey. The rear wing has two casement windows in each storey. Three shaped brick chimneys rise from the roof.
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.
History
The building was constructed in 1898 and designed by the local architect John DouglasJohn Douglas (architect)
John Douglas was an English architect who designed about 500 buildings in Cheshire, North Wales, and northwest England, in particular in the estate of Eaton Hall. He was trained in Lancaster and practised throughout his career from an office in Chester, Cheshire...
. In the mid-1890s St Werburgh Street had been widened and Douglas designed a terrace
Terraced house
In architecture and city planning, a terrace house, terrace, row house, linked house or townhouse is a style of medium-density housing that originated in Great Britain in the late 17th century, where a row of identical or mirror-image houses share side walls...
of shops and a bank on the east side of the street, numbered 2–18
2–18 St Werburgh Street, Chester
2–18 St Werburgh Street is a terrace consisting of a bank, shops and offices on the east side of St Werburgh Street and the north side of Eastgate Street, Chester, Cheshire, England...
, and built between about 1895 and 1897. Widening the street had opened up the view of Chester Cathedral
Chester Cathedral
Chester Cathedral is the mother church of the Church of England Diocese of Chester, and is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly St Werburgh's abbey church of a Benedictine monastery, is dedicated to Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary...
from Eastgate Street, but beyond the terrace the view was partly obscured by structures belonging to the business of Dicksons, seed merchants and nurserymen. Douglas purchased the site to the north of the terrace and designed St Oswald's Chambers to be built in line with the terrace, and in a similar style, to enhance the view towards the cathedral.
Architecture
St Oswald's Chambers is constructed in two storeys with a rear wing. The upper storey is entirely timber-framedTimber 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...
; the main part of the lower storey is in red sandstone
Sandstone
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 the lower storey of the wing is in red Ruabon
Ruabon
Ruabon is a village and community in the county borough of Wrexham in Wales.More than 80% of the population of 2,400 were born in Wales with 13.6% speaking Welsh....
brick. The roof is of Westmorland
Westmorland
Westmorland is an area of North West England and one of the 39 historic counties of England. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974, after which the entirety of the county was absorbed into the new county of Cumbria.-Early history:...
green 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...
. The main front of the building is on St Werburgh Street and faces west; a canted
Cant (architecture)
Cant is the architectural term describing part, or segment, of a facade which is at an angle to another part of the same facade. The angle breaking the facade is less than a right angle thus enabling a canted facade to be viewed as, and remain, one composition.Canted facades are a typical of, but...
corner leads to the south front in a side street. In the centre of the main front is an arched doorway with the date in the spandrel
Spandrel
A spandrel, less often spandril or splaundrel, is the space between two arches or between an arch and a rectangular enclosure....
s of the arch. Above it is a panel inscribed with the name of the building. To the left of the door is a 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...
window and to the right is a shop window. In the corner is the door leading into the shop. The upper storey contains two 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...
s; that to the left has four lights and the other has three. Above each window is a dormer
Dormer
A dormer is a structural element of a building that protrudes from the plane of a sloping roof surface. Dormers are used, either in original construction or as later additions, to create usable space in the roof of a building by adding headroom and usually also by enabling addition of windows.Often...
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...
, each with a richly carved 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...
. On the corner, above the doorway, is a nine-light casement window, with three lights on each front and the other three lights across the corner. Over this is a short octagonal spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
, topped by 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...
and a weather vane
Weather vane
A weather vane is an instrument for showing the direction of the wind. They are typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building....
. The south face has a two-light window in the lower storey and a three-light window above. On the north side are one three-light and three four-light windows in each storey. The rear wing has two casement windows in each storey. Three shaped brick chimneys rise from the roof.