9 Mill Street, Nantwich
Encyclopedia
9 Mill Street is a Georgian
house in Nantwich
, Cheshire
, England. The present building (at ) dates from around 1736 and is a grade II* listed building. Nikolaus Pevsner
calls it a "fine, spacious" house, and the English Heritage
listing describes it as a "substantial and well-detailed early, C18 Town House, which ... retains much original interior fabric." Formerly a town house, bank and political club, it is currently a restaurant and bar.
It stands on the site of an earlier house, which has been identified as the residence of the Wright family, one of the five principal houses of Nantwich in the 17th century.
of 1638. Local historian Jeremy Lake considers that the use of brick was an expression of wealth of the owner. The Wrights were one of the major Nantwich families between the mid-16th century and the early 18th century; Sir Edmund Wright (b. 1573) rose to become Lord Mayor of London
in 1640–41. Other residents of this earlier house include, in 1691, Samuel Acton, a wealthy tobacconist who became important in the town's salt trade and was also the town's first-recorded Baptist minister.
The present house was built in around 1736 as a town house. According to Hall, it was renovated or rebuilt in the late 18th century. In the early 19th century, it was occupied by a wine merchant. It became the Nantwich branch of the Manchester and Liverpool District Bank
in 1852, and underwent alteration at this date; it also served as the bank manager's residence. In 1866, the District Bank moved to a new building on Churchyard Side
by Alfred Waterhouse
, and 9 Mill Street returned to private ownership after a period of standing empty. In 1883, it was known as "The Elms" and was occupied by a shoe manufacturer. Hall describes "lofty and spacious wainscotted rooms" and a "fine staircase" at this date.
Nantwich Liberal Club (founded in 1875) acquired the building in 1897, and the building was extended at this date; it served as a political club for much of the 20th century. Since the closure of the club in the 1990s, the building has been occupied by the Riverside Club, Peppers restaurant and the Residence restaurant.
s and capped with a pediment
. At the level of the pediment is a cornice
topped with a parapet
, which is decorated with a pair of urn
s. The roof has a south-facing platform accessed via the attics. The main windows to both storeys feature arched heads. The entrance door is flanked by small paired windows and has an arched top, supported by two scrolls
. The entrance and flanking windows were formerly surrounded by a stone porch supported by four columns; this was removed some time after 1966.
Although the interior plan has been substantially altered from the original town house, many Georgian features have survived on both ground and first floors, including cornices, panelling, architrave
s around the doors, and the main staircase as well as the attic stairs.
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
house in Nantwich
Nantwich
Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich...
, 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. The present building (at ) dates from around 1736 and is a grade II* listed building. 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...
calls it a "fine, spacious" house, and the 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...
listing describes it as a "substantial and well-detailed early, C18 Town House, which ... retains much original interior fabric." Formerly a town house, bank and political club, it is currently a restaurant and bar.
It stands on the site of an earlier house, which has been identified as the residence of the Wright family, one of the five principal houses of Nantwich in the 17th century.
History
The present building stands on the site of an earlier house, which was identified by historian James Hall as the "very fine brick house of Mr. Wrights", one of the five principal houses of the town described by William Webb in 1622–23. The use of brick other than for chimneys was very unusual in Nantwich at this date. Other brick buildings include Townsend House, the demolished Wilbraham mansion on Welsh Row completed in around 1580, and the Wright's AlmshousesWright's Almshouses, Nantwich
Wright's Almshouses is a terrace of six former almshouses now located on Beam Street in Nantwich, Cheshire, England. The building was originally erected at the junction of Hospital Street and London Road in 1638 by Edmund Wright , Lord Mayor of London in 1640–41, and is listed at grade II*...
of 1638. Local historian Jeremy Lake considers that the use of brick was an expression of wealth of the owner. The Wrights were one of the major Nantwich families between the mid-16th century and the early 18th century; Sir Edmund Wright (b. 1573) rose to become Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
in 1640–41. Other residents of this earlier house include, in 1691, Samuel Acton, a wealthy tobacconist who became important in the town's salt trade and was also the town's first-recorded Baptist minister.
The present house was built in around 1736 as a town house. According to Hall, it was renovated or rebuilt in the late 18th century. In the early 19th century, it was occupied by a wine merchant. It became the Nantwich branch of the Manchester and Liverpool District Bank
District Bank
District Bank was a British retail bank which operated in England and Wales from 1829 until its merger into the National Westminster Bank in 1970; it remains a registered company but is dormant...
in 1852, and underwent alteration at this date; it also served as the bank manager's residence. In 1866, the District Bank moved to a new building on Churchyard Side
1–3 Churchyard Side, Nantwich
1–3 Churchyard Side is a grade-II-listed Victorian Gothic building in Nantwich, Cheshire, England, located on the corner of Churchyard Side and Pepper Street , opposite St Mary's Church...
by Alfred Waterhouse
Alfred Waterhouse
Alfred Waterhouse was a British architect, particularly associated with the Victorian Gothic Revival architecture. He is perhaps best known for his design for the Natural History Museum in London, and Manchester Town Hall, although he also built a wide variety of other buildings throughout the...
, and 9 Mill Street returned to private ownership after a period of standing empty. In 1883, it was known as "The Elms" and was occupied by a shoe manufacturer. Hall describes "lofty and spacious wainscotted rooms" and a "fine staircase" at this date.
Nantwich Liberal Club (founded in 1875) acquired the building in 1897, and the building was extended at this date; it served as a political club for much of the 20th century. Since the closure of the club in the 1990s, the building has been occupied by the Riverside Club, Peppers restaurant and the Residence restaurant.
Description
In red brick with stone dressings, the house has two storeys with attics and basements, under a tiled roof. The five-bay front (north) face has a central entrance bay, set slightly forwards, which is flanked by brick pilasterPilaster
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 and capped with a pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
. At the level of the pediment is a 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...
topped with a parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
, which is decorated with a pair of urn
Urn
An urn is a vase, ordinarily covered, that usually has a narrowed neck above a footed pedestal. "Knife urns" placed on pedestals flanking a dining-room sideboard were an English innovation for high-style dining rooms of the late 1760s...
s. The roof has a south-facing platform accessed via the attics. The main windows to both storeys feature arched heads. The entrance door is flanked by small paired windows and has an arched top, supported by two scrolls
Scrollwork
Scrollwork is an element of ornamentation and graphic design using a spiral. The name comes from by the supposed resemblance to the edge-on view of a rolled parchment scroll. "Scrollwork" is today mostly used in popular language for two-dimensional decorative flourishes and arabesques of all...
. The entrance and flanking windows were formerly surrounded by a stone porch supported by four columns; this was removed some time after 1966.
Although the interior plan has been substantially altered from the original town house, many Georgian features have survived on both ground and first floors, including cornices, panelling, 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:...
s around the doors, and the main staircase as well as the attic stairs.
Modern use
The Residence restaurant and bar opened in 2007. It is licensed for civil wedding ceremonies. It won the Visit Chester and Cheshire "Food and Drink Venue of the Year" in 2010.Sources
- Davies G. Memory Lane Nantwich (Breedon Books; 2002) (ISBN)
- Hall J. A History of the Town and Parish of Nantwich, or Wich Malbank, in the County Palatine of Chester (2nd edn) (E. J. Morten; 1972) (ISBN 0-901598-24-0)
- Lake J. The Great Fire of Nantwich (Shiva Publishing; 1983) (ISBN 0-906812-57-7)
- Pevsner N, Hubbard E. The Buildings of England: Cheshire (Penguin Books; 1971) (ISBN 0-14-071042-6)
- Stevenson PJ. Nantwich: A Brief History and Guide (1994)