St Ursula's, Chester
Encyclopedia
St Ursula's is a building at 37 Watergate Street, Chester
, Cheshire
, England. It incorporates a section of Chester Rows
and has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building. It has been included in Grade I because of the quality of the undercroft
.
The building originated somewhere between about 1180 and about 1280. Alterations were made in the 16th or 17th century and it was largely rebuilt above the Row level in the late 19th century and altered again in the 20th century. The building is in four storeys. It is built in sandstone
at the street (undercroft) and Row levels and above this is timber-framed
. The undercroft has 5½ bays and it is considered that the walls date from the late 12th century, and are therefore the earliest features yet to have been dated in the structure of the Rows.
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 incorporates a section of 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...
and 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. It has been included in Grade I because of the quality of 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...
.
The building originated somewhere between about 1180 and about 1280. Alterations were made in the 16th or 17th century and it was largely rebuilt above the Row level in the late 19th century and altered again in the 20th century. The building is in four storeys. 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,...
at the street (undercroft) and Row levels and above this is timber-framed
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...
. The undercroft has 5½ bays and it is considered that the walls date from the late 12th century, and are therefore the earliest features yet to have been dated in the structure of the Rows.