Bishop Lloyd's House
Encyclopedia
Bishop Lloyd's House is at 41 Watergate Street, and 51/53 Watergate Row, Chester
, Cheshire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building. The architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner
considered it to be "perhaps the best" house in Chester.
The house is built on two stone medieval
undercroft
s with timber framing
above. Its first floor incorporates a section of the Chester Rows
. The house is now used as shops and meeting rooms and it includes the headquarters of Chester Civic Trust.
from 1605 to 1615. In the early 18th century the east (left) house bore a panel inscribed "EDGAR'S ACADEMY". By the 19th century it had become run down, the carvings on its frontage had been covered with plaster, the house had been split into tenements, and it was becoming derelict. In the 1890s the house was heavily restored by Thomas Lockwood
. He re-fronted the east house to more closely match the west house and added a flight of steps from the street to the level of the row on the east side. He also re-positioned the posts holding the structure above the row and replaced the 18th-century sash window
s with mullion
ed windows. A further restoration was carried out between 1973 and 1977.
, with three storeys, and an attic in each gable. At the street level the east (left) house has a stone staircase with a wrought iron
railing. At the row level is an oak handrail on baluster
s, behind which is a shop front. The brackets
supporting the storey above are carved with bearded giants, beasts and an owl; there are also lighter brackets shaped as figures. On the outside, between the beam over the row and the windows above are ten square panels. The windows are divided into three bays by oak pilaster
s carved in Jacobean
style, and further divided in each bay by two mullion
s and two transom
s making a total of 27. Above the windows is a plaster band and in the attic is a three-light window surrounded by more square panels. The bargeboard
s have carved cornice
s with an ornate post between them.
The ground floor of the west house includes a shop with a central entrance. On each side are two piers
and an 18-light bow window
. At the row level is a wooden balustrade, and brackets with carvings similar to the east house. Above this level are eight recessed carved panels. The two centre panels contain the coat of arms
of James I
with an inscription, and the arms
of Sodor and Man
(George Lloyd was Bishop of Sodor and Man
before he became Bishop of Chester) with the date 1615. To the left of these are three panels containing carvings of Adam and Eve
, Cain and Abel
, and Abraham and Isaac
. To the right are another three panels, two of which contain carvings of biblical
scenes. In the storey above are four oak pilasters dividing the windows into three bays, with two mullions and a transom further separating the windows - of which there is a total of 18. Above the windows is a carved beam and over this are ten arched panels which contain carvings of heraldic
beasts. In the attic is a three-light window to each side of which are three panels containing carvings, and above the window are three plain panels. Again the bargeboards are carved with a post between them.
rubble
, with brick barrel vault
s which were probably added in the 18th century. Leading from the row level to the third storey is a Chinese Chippendale
staircase. In the third storey are two rooms. The larger room has an ornate 17th-century plaster ceiling and a massive fireplace; it is thought that these were moved from the Bishop's Palace in Abbey Square after this was damaged in the Civil War
. The smaller room also has a plaster ceiling, less ornate than in the other room. This includes motifs including Tudor rose
s, horses, and starfish. Around the room is a frieze
containing sea-monsters. In this room is a smaller fireplace in the overmantle
of which is a carving of Cupid
riding on a lion.
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. The architectural historian 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...
considered it to be "perhaps the best" house in Chester.
The house is built on two stone 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...
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 with 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...
above. Its first floor 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...
. The house is now used as shops and meeting rooms and it includes the headquarters of Chester Civic Trust.
History
The house originated as two town houses which were built on medieval undercrofts. It was rebuilt during the 17th century when the two buildings were converted into one. The rebuilt house broke with the medieval fashion of having the main residential accommodation in a great hall at the row level; instead the principal living accommodation was in two "elegant chambers" in the floor above the row. The house has been associated with George Lloyd, who was Bishop of ChesterBishop of Chester
The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York.The diocese expands across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the City of Chester where the seat is located at the Cathedral...
from 1605 to 1615. In the early 18th century the east (left) house bore a panel inscribed "EDGAR'S ACADEMY". By the 19th century it had become run down, the carvings on its frontage had been covered with plaster, the house had been split into tenements, and it was becoming derelict. In the 1890s the house was heavily restored by Thomas Lockwood
Thomas Lockwood
Thomas Meakin Lockwood was an English architect whose main works are in Chester, Cheshire, England. Lockwood, together with Thomas Penson and John Douglas, were the architects mainly responsible for the black-and-white revival buildings in the city centre. Lockwood designed a number of buildings...
. He re-fronted the east house to more closely match the west house and added a flight of steps from the street to the level of the row on the east side. He also re-positioned the posts holding the structure above the row and replaced the 18th-century 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 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. A further restoration was carried out between 1973 and 1977.
Exterior
The building has the appearance of two houses, each under a gableGable
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...
, with three storeys, and an attic in each gable. At the street level the east (left) house has a stone staircase with a wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
railing. At the row level is an oak handrail on 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, behind which is a shop front. The brackets
Bracket (architecture)
A bracket is an architectural member made of wood, stone, or metal that overhangs a wall to support or carry weight. It may also support a statue, the spring of an arch, a beam, or a shelf. Brackets are often in the form of scrolls, and can be carved, cast, or molded. They can be entirely...
supporting the storey above are carved with bearded giants, beasts and an owl; there are also lighter brackets shaped as figures. On the outside, between the beam over the row and the windows above are ten square panels. The windows are divided into three bays by oak 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 carved in Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
style, and further divided in each bay by two 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...
s and two 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,...
s making a total of 27. Above the windows is a plaster band and in the attic is a three-light window surrounded by more square 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...
s have carved 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...
s with an ornate post between them.
The ground floor of the west house includes a shop with a central entrance. On each side are two piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
and an 18-light bow window
Bow window
A bow window is a curved bay window. Bow windows are designed to create space by projecting beyond the exterior wall of a building, and to provide a wider view of the garden or street outside and typically combine four or more casement windows, which join together to form an arch.Bow windows first...
. At the row level is a wooden balustrade, and brackets with carvings similar to the east house. Above this level are eight recessed carved panels. The two centre panels contain the coat of arms
Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom is the official coat of arms of the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. These arms are used by the Queen in her official capacity as monarch of the United Kingdom, and are officially known as her Arms of Dominion...
of James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
with an inscription, and 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 Sodor and Man
Diocese of Sodor and Man
Sodor and Man is a diocese of the Church of England. Originally much larger, today it covers just the Isle of Man and its adjacent islets.-Early history:...
(George Lloyd was Bishop of Sodor and Man
Bishop of Sodor and Man
The Bishop of Sodor and Man is the Ordinary of the Diocese of Sodor and Man in the Province of York in the Church of England. The diocese covers the Isle of Man. The see is in the town of Peel where the bishop's seat is located at the Cathedral Church of St German, elevated to cathedral status on 1...
before he became Bishop of Chester) with the date 1615. To the left of these are three panels containing carvings of Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve were, according to the Genesis creation narratives, the first human couple to inhabit Earth, created by YHWH, the God of the ancient Hebrews...
, Cain and Abel
Cain and Abel
In the Hebrew Bible, Cain and Abel are two sons of Adam and Eve. The Qur'an mentions the story, calling them the two sons of Adam only....
, and Abraham and Isaac
Binding of Isaac
The Binding of Isaac Akedah or Akeidat Yitzchak in Hebrew and Dhabih in Arabic, is a story from the Hebrew Bible in which God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, on Mount Moriah...
. To the right are another three panels, two of which contain carvings of biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
scenes. In the storey above are four oak pilasters dividing the windows into three bays, with two mullions and a transom further separating the windows - of which there is a total of 18. Above the windows is a carved beam and over this are ten arched panels which contain carvings of heraldic
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
beasts. In the attic is a three-light window to each side of which are three panels containing carvings, and above the window are three plain panels. Again the bargeboards are carved with a post between them.
Interior
The two undercrofts have walls of red 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,...
rubble
Rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
, with brick barrel vault
Barrel 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 which were probably added in the 18th century. Leading from the row level to the third storey is a Chinese Chippendale
Thomas Chippendale
Thomas Chippendale was a London cabinet-maker and furniture designer in the mid-Georgian, English Rococo, and Neoclassical styles. In 1754 he published a book of his designs, titled The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director...
staircase. In the third storey are two rooms. The larger room has an ornate 17th-century plaster ceiling and a massive fireplace; it is thought that these were moved from the Bishop's Palace in Abbey Square after this was damaged 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 smaller room also has a plaster ceiling, less ornate than in the other room. This includes motifs including Tudor rose
Tudor rose
The Tudor Rose is the traditional floral heraldic emblem of England and takes its name and origins from the Tudor dynasty.-Origins:...
s, horses, and starfish. Around the room is a 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...
containing sea-monsters. In this room is a smaller fireplace in the overmantle
Fireplace mantel
Fireplace mantel or mantelpiece, also known as a chimneypiece, originated in medieval times as a hood that projected over a grate to catch the smoke. The term has evolved to include the decorative framework around the fireplace, and can include elaborate designs extending to the ceiling...
of which is a carving of Cupid
Cupid
In Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of desire, affection and erotic love. He is the son of the goddess Venus and the god Mars. His Greek counterpart is Eros...
riding on a lion.