God's Providence House
Encyclopedia
God's Providence House is at 9 Watergate Street and 11–11A Watergate Row, Chester
, Cheshire
, England. The house incorporates part of the Chester Rows
, has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II listed building, and is included in the National Monuments Record.
in 1862. He incorporated some of the timberwork from the original house, and designed a larger and more elaborate building.
The name of the house is reputed to come from its being the only house to have escaped the outbreak of plague in 1647–48 which killed 2,000 people in the city. However this house was not built until after the plague and it is more likely that it refers to the owners of the previous building on the site being spared the disease.
on the south side of Watergate Street. It is built in sandstone
and timber framing
with plaster panels and a slate roof. It has four storeys and a gable
overlooking the street. At the street level is a modern shop front and, to the right, a set of concrete steps leading up to the row level. Set back at this level is another modern shop front. Overlooking the street is a Jacobean
style railing. Above the row level is a fascia
board inscribed "GOD'S PROVIDENCE IS MINE INHERITANCE". In the centre of the third storey is a central nine-pane casement window
, surrounded by timber framing with recessed moulded plaster panels. Across the base of the attic storey is a row of quatrefoil
braces, with a four-pane window in the centre. At the sides and above the window is more timber framing with panels similar to those on the third storey. At the top of the gable is an elaborately carved bargeboard
and, at its summit, a finial
. Internally in the undercroft
at street level, some 13th century sandstone fabric is still present in the east party wall
.
.
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. The house incorporates part 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 II listed building, and is included in the National Monuments Record.
History
The original building on the site was constructed in the 13th century but the present house was built in 1652. During the 19th century its owners wanted to demolish it but around this time the Chester and North Wales Architectural, Archaeological and Historical Society were campaigning against the loss of ancient buildings in the city. The owners agreed to a timber replacement of the building which was carried out by James HarrisonJames Harrison (architect)
James Harrison was an English architect who worked mainly in Chester, Cheshire. His works were mainly on churches — building new churches, rebuilding old churches, and making amendments and alterations to existing churches....
in 1862. He incorporated some of the timberwork from the original house, and designed a larger and more elaborate building.
The name of the house is reputed to come from its being the only house to have escaped the outbreak of plague in 1647–48 which killed 2,000 people in the city. However this house was not built until after the plague and it is more likely that it refers to the owners of the previous building on the site being spared the disease.
Architecture
The house is part of a terraceTerraced 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...
on the south side of Watergate Street. It is built in 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 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...
with plaster panels and a slate roof. It has four storeys and a 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...
overlooking the street. At the street level is a modern shop front and, to the right, a set of concrete steps leading up to the row level. Set back at this level is another modern shop front. Overlooking the street is a 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 railing. Above the row level is a fascia
Fascia (architecture)
Fascia is a term used in architecture to refer to a frieze or band running horizontally and situated vertically under the roof edge or which forms the outer surface of a cornice and is visible to an outside observer...
board inscribed "GOD'S PROVIDENCE IS MINE INHERITANCE". In the centre of the third storey is a central nine-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...
, surrounded by timber framing with recessed moulded plaster panels. Across the base of the attic storey is a row of quatrefoil
Quatrefoil
The word quatrefoil etymologically means "four leaves", and applies to general four-lobed shapes in various contexts.-In heraldry:In heraldic terminology, a quatrefoil is a representation of a flower with four petals, or a leaf with four leaflets . It is sometimes shown "slipped", i.e. with an...
braces, with a four-pane window in the centre. At the sides and above the window is more timber framing with panels similar to those on the third storey. At the top of the gable is an elaborately 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...
and, at its summit, 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...
. Internally in the 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...
at street level, some 13th century sandstone fabric is still present in the east party wall
Party wall
Party wall is a dividing partition between two adjoining buildings that is shared by the tenants of each residence or business. The wall is sometimes constructed over the center of the property line dividing two terraced flats or row houses so that one half of the wall is on each property...
.
God's Providence House, Newport, Isle of Wight
There is another God's Providence House located in Newport on the Isle of Wight. Now a traditional, family-run, tea room and licensed restaurant, God's Providence House is one of the Island's oldest buildings and one of only a handful of Grade II listed buildings on the Isle of Wight. The building received its name during the raging rat-borne plague of 1583 when the house was the only home in all of Newport not to see fatalities within its walls.Literature
The building features in the novel God's Providence House: A Story of 1791 (1865) by Isabella BanksIsabella Banks
Isabella Varley Banks , also known as Mrs G. Linnaeus Banks or Isabella Varley, was a 19th-century writer of English poetry and novels, born in Manchester, England...
.