Tudor House
Picture: Not Known
About this image:
1910 postcard of Tudor House.
The publication 2000 Years of building states:
This house only earns its 'Tudor' name by a hairsbreadth, for it probably dates from the year of Elizabeth 1sts death when James 1st became our 1st Stuart King. The plaque dated 1503 above the door, should read 1603. The timber framed house was extended to the rear in the mid 17th century and the front was rebuilt in 1728, when the Row walk through its second storey was enclosed. The location of the former Row and Stall (behind the three early 18th century sash windows) can still be seen from the position of the timbers embedded in its south side. The front door has a Tudor arched case, the third and forth storeys are jettied forward and have leaded mullioned and transomed casements.
Originally built for a wealthy Chester merchant, Tudor House, like many of its contemporaries has had a variety of uses in its time. The two undercrofts at street level are now united as a single shop but were once quite separate. One was a bakehouse while the other was the Britannia Inn with rooms above and, apparently in the neighbouring building (33 Lower Bridge street) when the two were linked together by a bridge which was a continuation of the Row walkway.
Image Description:
Tudor House This is a picture of a timber-framed building.
On the left is a strip of a brick building, with a flat roof and a chimney with three pots on the right. At ground level the edge of a shop window made of small panes set into a grey stone frame and above that two signs fixed to the wall, the top one in white has words including WHISKY on. The black one below has HUDSON SOAP with a picture of a tablet of soap above the words.
The timber-framed building has one gable. Set within the gable are rows of square black timbers on a white ground. The top row has a square with a triangle on each side; the triangles have diagonal lines while the square has a pattern with a diamond in the middle. The next row down has four white squares in the middle with a triangle of diagonal stripes on each site. The bottom row has six squares with the diamond pattern and diagonal stripes in the two sections at the edge of the gable.
Below this is a black beam, which has the date 1603 in white letters. Immediately below the beam, in the centre, is a window, which has three frames each with a number panes (about 16). The middle frame is open. Immediately to the right and left of the window is a narrow strip of white ground between two black uprights. Under the window is a row of white arches on a black background. To either side of the window there are black rectangles with wavy black lines of timber going across. This storey is separated from the one below by a black beam. On the third storey there are panels to either side made of the same wavy timbers. In the middle there is a pair of windows. Each has three smaller frames at the top and three longer rectangular frames underneath. Each frame contains several small square panels set in lead. On the second storey there are three sash windows set into a brick background. Each frame has eight panes. On the ground floor there is a door at the left, which is dark with glass in the top half. Then a shop window with twelve panes of glass. Above this window to the left is a black frame, which could be a notice. Below the window is a narrow strip of brick wall. Then there is another door very similar to the first but in shadow, and another window with twenty panes of glass. In front of this window a woman in Victorian dress is standing. To the right of the building is an alley and further buildings can be seen at the end of it. There is a brick structure rather like a bridge linking this building to its neighbour on the right. The pavement and the road are grey. This is an old postcard with the words Oldest House in Chester written in white along the bottom left hand side o0f the photograph.