The Falcon
Text: Chester City Council
A building has stood on the site of The Falcon for at least 700 years. The original house of about 12OO, extended further south along Bridge Street, with a massive great hall running parallel to the street. Later in the 13th century, the great hall was rebuilt to incorporate an elevated Row gallery or walkway.
Typical of Chester's medieval Row buildings, the house was built over a stone undercroft, now the beer cellar, with a doorway and windows facing Bridge Street. One of the heavy timber supporting beams has been tree-ring dated to about 1250, while other timbers are even older - possibly re-used roof trusses from the original great hall.
The house above was timber. Most of the visible timber-work dates from re-building in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The decorated black and white exterior is typical of many Chester houses of this period. Some of the infill panels of wattle and daub have been preserved inside.
In 1602, the house was acquired by the Grosvenor family of Eaton. Some 40 years later, at the outbreak of the Civil War, it was extensively altered by Sir Richard Grosvenor, who was largely responsible for the building's present appearance.
Sir Richard was a leading Royalist commander, garrisoned at Chester castle. He needed to move his family into the city for safety and in 1643, petitioned the City Assembly for permission to enlarge the property by enclosing the Row. The Row was blocked off and turned into a room, now the front bar of the pub. Inside, the 13th century stone piers which once formed part of the front of the building together with the original medieval shopfront in the former Row, are still preserved inside the building.
Sir Richard's successful petition set a precident which was to be followed by virtually all other residents of Lower Bridge Street. By the mid 18th century, nearly all the Rows in this part of Chester had been enclosed or re-built.
In the late 18th century, the building ceased to be a town house, although it was still owned by the Grosvenor family. From 1778 to 1878 it was licensed as The Falon Inn. In the following year it was restored by the architect John Douglas and re-opened as a temperence house - hospitality without alcohol! A small shop next door was rebuilt in the black and white style and became the Falcon dining room.
By the 1970s, the Falcon was empty and in danger of collapse. The Falcon Trust was set up in 1979 to save the building, which was donated to the Trust by the Grosvenor Estate. Following an imaginative restoration scheme, it re-opened as a pub in May 1992.