Booth Mansion
Encyclopedia
Booth Mansion is a former town house at 28–34 Watergate Street, Chester
, Cheshire
, England. It contains a portion of the Chester Rows
, has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building, and is included in the National Monuments Record. Its frontage was built in 1700 in Georgian
style but much medieval
material remains behind it.
rebuilt two medieval
houses as his town house. He built a frontage in Georgian
style, but behind this much of the medieval fabric was retained. The frontage was angled into the street so that the house could be seen better from Chester Cross
; however as a result of this he was fined £10 for encroaching into the street. In the 1740s and 1750s the building was used as the assembly rooms for the town's social functions. Subsequently it has been used as an auction
gallery and, as of 2010, houses a firm of solicitor
s.
, the architect designing the frontage of Booth Mansion retained its section of the Row. The frontage is built in brick with stone quoins
; it has eight bays
and two storeys. Behind the frontage is medieval stonework and timber; the roof is of grey slates. At the street (undercroft
) level are shop fronts and doorways between nine stone piers
. At the Row level, overlooking the street, are three piers and six Tuscan
column
s. In the storey above the row are eight tall windows, each with four leaded lights, above which is a string course. The top storey has eight six-light sash window
s. Above these is a cornice
and, from the roof, four gable
d dormer
s with two-pane casement window
s protrude.
and a wooden joist
which has been dated by dendrochronology
to 1260–80. At the level of the Row, a 13th-century oak doorway remains from the medieval hall. In the storey above the Row is the 18th-century assembly room which measures 16m by 10m and stretches across the full width of the building. The room is panelled and has a fireplace against the east wall. Elsewhere the medieval details of rooms has been obscured by modern additions.
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 contains a portion 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...
, 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, and is included in the National Monuments Record. Its frontage was built in 1700 in Georgian
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...
style but much 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...
material remains behind it.
History
In 1700 George BoothGeorge Booth, 2nd Earl of Warrington
George Booth, 2nd Earl of Warrington was the son of Henry Booth, 1st Earl of Warrington by his wife Mary, the daughter and sole heiress of Sir James Langham, Bart. As the eldest surviving son, he inherited the title of Earl of Warrington on his father's death in 1693...
rebuilt two 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...
houses as his town house. He built a frontage in Georgian
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...
style, but behind this much of the medieval fabric was retained. The frontage was angled into the street so that the house could be seen better from Chester Cross
Chester Cross (junction)
Chester Cross is a junction of streets at the centre of the city of Chester, Cheshire, England .The streets meeting at the junction are Watergate Street, Eastgate Street, Bridge Street and Northgate Street. The junction consists of a staggered crossroads, with Watergate Street in continuity with...
; however as a result of this he was fined £10 for encroaching into the street. In the 1740s and 1750s the building was used as the assembly rooms for the town's social functions. Subsequently it has been used as an auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
gallery and, as of 2010, houses a firm of solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
s.
Exterior
At a time when buildings elsewhere in the town had enclosed their portion of the RowsChester 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 architect designing the frontage of Booth Mansion retained its section of the Row. The frontage is built in brick with stone quoins
Quoin (architecture)
Quoins are the cornerstones of brick or stone walls. Quoins may be either structural or decorative. Architects and builders use quoins to give the impression of strength and firmness to the outline of a building...
; it has eight bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
and two storeys. Behind the frontage is medieval stonework and timber; the roof is of grey slates. At the street (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...
) level are shop fronts and doorways between nine stone 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...
. At the Row level, overlooking the street, are three piers and six Tuscan
Tuscan order
Among canon of classical orders of classical architecture, the Tuscan order's place is due to the influence of the Italian Sebastiano Serlio, who meticulously described the five orders including a "Tuscan order", "the solidest and least ornate", in his fourth book of Regole generalii di...
column
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
s. In the storey above the row are eight tall windows, each with four leaded lights, above which is a string course. The top storey has eight six-light 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. Above these 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...
and, from the roof, 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...
d 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...
s with two-pane 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 protrude.
Interior
In the undercroft is a medieval stone arcadeArcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
and a wooden joist
Joist
A joist, in architecture and engineering, is one of the horizontal supporting members that run from wall to wall, wall to beam, or beam to beam to support a ceiling, roof, or floor. It may be made of wood, steel, or concrete. Typically, a beam is bigger than, and is thus distinguished from, a joist...
which has been dated by dendrochronology
Dendrochronology
Dendrochronology or tree-ring dating is the scientific method of dating based on the analysis of patterns of tree-rings. Dendrochronology can date the time at which tree rings were formed, in many types of wood, to the exact calendar year...
to 1260–80. At the level of the Row, a 13th-century oak doorway remains from the medieval hall. In the storey above the Row is the 18th-century assembly room which measures 16m by 10m and stretches across the full width of the building. The room is panelled and has a fireplace against the east wall. Elsewhere the medieval details of rooms has been obscured by modern additions.