Stanley Palace
Encyclopedia
Stanley Palace is at 83 Watergate Street, Chester
, Cheshire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II listed building. Built as a town house for Sir Peter Warburton in 1591, it has since been apartments, a boys' school, and a museum, and is now used as an office and meeting rooms.
. It was built as the town house for Sir Peter Warburton, a local lawyer and Member of Parliament
. When he died in 1621 the house was inherited by his daughter. She married Sir Thomas Stanley who gave his name to the house. After the Civil Wars James Stanley (The 7th Earl) was held under arrest at the house, and transported to Bolton for execution. Part of the house was demolished and the southwest wing was rebuilt in the early 18th century. The house then ceased to be a mansion house and by the early 19th century it had been divided into apartments and its condition was deteriorating. It was bought by the Chester Archaeological Society in 1865 and during the 1870s housed a boys' school. The building was sold to the 15th Earl of Derby
in 1889. In the early 1920s the building contained "a museum of 1,000 curios". The house was given to Chester Corporation in 1928. The north wing was rebuilt in 1935.
on an ashlar
sandstone
plinth
in two storeys. The south wall is brick and the roofs are slate
. There are four gable
s on the east face and three on the north face which overlooks the street. On the ground floor there is a door on the east face and mullion
ed windows on both faces. The upper storey is jettied
with a moulded
bressumer. In each bay of the upper storey on both faces is a ten-light mullioned and transom
ed window, each of which contains leaded lights
. Below and to the sides of these windows are panels, most of which are decorated. In the gables are wavy herringbone struts. At the top of each gable is a finial
.
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. Built as a town house for Sir Peter Warburton in 1591, it has since been apartments, a boys' school, and a museum, and is now used as an office and meeting rooms.
History
Stanley Palace was built in 1591 on the site of the former Black (Dominican) FriaryDominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
. It was built as the town house for Sir Peter Warburton, a local lawyer and Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
. When he died in 1621 the house was inherited by his daughter. She married Sir Thomas Stanley who gave his name to the house. After the Civil Wars James Stanley (The 7th Earl) was held under arrest at the house, and transported to Bolton for execution. Part of the house was demolished and the southwest wing was rebuilt in the early 18th century. The house then ceased to be a mansion house and by the early 19th century it had been divided into apartments and its condition was deteriorating. It was bought by the Chester Archaeological Society in 1865 and during the 1870s housed a boys' school. The building was sold to the 15th Earl of Derby
Edward Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby
Edward Henry Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby KG, PC, FRS , known as Lord Stanley from 1844 to 1869, was a British statesman...
in 1889. In the early 1920s the building contained "a museum of 1,000 curios". The house was given to Chester Corporation in 1928. The north wing was rebuilt in 1935.
Architecture
The house is 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...
on an ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
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,...
plinth
Plinth
In architecture, a plinth is the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or structure rests. Gottfried Semper's The Four Elements of Architecture posited that the plinth, the hearth, the roof, and the wall make up all of architectural theory. The plinth usually rests...
in two storeys. The south wall is brick and the roofs are 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...
. There are four 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...
s on the east face and three on the north face which overlooks the street. On the ground floor there is a door on the east face and 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 windows on both faces. The upper 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...
with a moulded
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
bressumer. In each bay of the upper storey on both faces is a ten-light mullioned and transom
Transom
Transom may refer to:* Transom , a bar of wood or stone across the top of a door or window* Transom , one of the beams running athwart the ship's hull at the fashion timbers or the surface that forms the flat back panel of a stern of a vessel* Operation Transom, a major bombing raid* Transom knot,...
ed window, each of which 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 to the sides of these windows are panels, most of which are decorated. In the gables are wavy herringbone struts. At the top of each gable 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...
.