The city of Chester in Cheshire, England, contains over 650 structures that are designated as listed buildings by English Heritage and included in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, over 500 are listed at Grade II, the lowest of the three gradings given to listed buildings and applied to "buildings of national importance and special interest".[1] This list contains the Grade II listed buildings in the unparished area of the city to the south of the River Dee. Immediately to the south of the river is the area of Handbridge.
The listed structures in this area have resulted from the growth of the city from the beginning of the 19th century. Many of the listed buildings are houses, and there are also shops, a public house, churches and associated structures, a former boys' club, mileposts, and a telephone kiosk. Overleigh Cemetery was laid out in 1848–50,[2] and contains listed structures, including tombs, monuments, gates, a bridge, and a cenotaph.
A brick country house on a stone plinth with a slate roof that was later extended to the rear. The original part is in two storeys with a five-bay front; the extension is in three storeys. On the front is a portico carried on columns with flutedcapitals, and with a Roman Doricentablature. The windows are sashes. The former coach house and yard walls are included in the listing.[3]
A pair of brick houses with hippedslate roofs. They are in two storeys, and each house has a four-bay front. The doorways have Tudor arches. There are some French windows, and the other windows are a mix of casements and sashes. No. 15 also has a cantedbay window.[5]
A pair of brick houses with hippedslate roofs. They are in two storeys, and each house has a four-bay front. Each house has a lattice porch and a five-light French window. The other windows are casements.[6]
The bridge and retaining walls were designed by T. M. Penson. The bridge is in red sandstone and consists of a single semicircular arch with a span of about 3 metres (10 ft). The walls are in drystone.[11]
The gates and gate piers were designed by T. M. Penson; the piers are in sandstone, and the gates in cast iron. There are six piers flanking a pair of vehicle gates, outside which are pedestrian gates, and outside these are railings. The piers are square, stand on mouldedplinths, have blank shields on the front and back, and are surmounted by gabled caps.[2][12]
A brick house with a slate roof in late Georgian style. It is in two storeys, and has three bays on Pyecroft Street, and one on Overleigh Road. The doorway has a simple case and a fanlight. The windows are sashes with wedge lintels.[13]
A terrace of 19 brick cottages on a plinth with a slate roof in two storeys. Each cottage has a doorway with a flat hood, and sash windows. Originally there were no rear windows; windows and bathrooms have since been added.[14]
A brick house on a plinth with a slate roof in late Georgian style. It is in two storeys. Above the doorway is a flat hood. The windows are sashes with wedge lintels.[15]
A brick house on a plinth with a slate roof in late Georgian style. It is in two storeys. Above the doorway is a fanlight. The windows are sashes with wedge lintels. In the rear yard is a former privy.[16]
A pair of houses probably designed by James Harrison. They are in brick with slate roofs. The houses are in two storeys with projecting lateral gabledbays. On the end of each house is a small two-storey porch. The outer bays contain bay windows, and in the centre bays are three lancet windows. In the upper floor are triangular-headed casement windows.[17]
A cottage in painted brick with a Welsh slate roof. It consists of a two-storey single-bay block with a pediment, and a wing on each side. In the lower storey of the central block is a sash window, above which is a pediment, and there are three round-arched casement windows in the upper storey. The wings each contains a casement window.[7][18]
The monument to Samuel Venables, who was master of the Bluecoat School for over 40 years is in Overleigh Cemetery. It is in stone, and consists of a plinth with a pediment, from which rises an obelisk. The memorial is about 4 metres (13 ft) high, and carried inscriptions about Venables' achievements. The memorial was restored in 1885.[19]
A rendered villa with a slate roof. It is mainly in two storeys, with a single-storey wing to the right, and a tower rising to an extra storey. There are balconies with French windows above the single-storey wing and the entrance; the other windows are sashes. To the left of the house are a former coach house and hayloft that have been converted into a cottage.[21]
A pair of villas in Italianate style. They are built in rendered brick with stone dressings, and have hippedslate roofs. The houses are in two storeys with attics, and have a front of four bays, with an added bay to the right. The windows in the lower floor are round-headed, those in the first floor are flat-headed, and above there are four gableddormers. The round-headed porches are in the corners.[22]
A detached house, later divided into flats. It is built in brick, and has a hippedslate roof. The house is in two storeys. In the centre of the lower storeys is a portico with two pairs of columns, an architrave, a frieze, a dentilcornice, and a balcony. On each side of the portico is a round-arched window, and above it is a French window. The other windows are sashes. On the right side of the house is a full-length cast ironverandah.[23]
A pair of attached houses, Fernrock being slightly recessed. The houses are built in brick with stone dressings and slate roofs, and each house is in two storeys with a three-bay front. Both houses have bay windows and casements. Kinders has a round-arched doorway with a fanlight. Fernrock has an Ionicportico, and balconies with balustrades.[24]
A row of three cottages probably designed by James Harrison. They are built in brick with slate roofs, and are in two storeys. Each house has a projecting gabled bay, with bays between them that are also gabled. The windows are casements.[26]
A pair of cottages probably designed by James Harrison. They are in brick with slate roofs. The cottages are in two storeys with projecting central gabledbays, flanked by porch bays between. Each cottage has a cantedbay window; the other windows are sashes.[27]
A detached brick house with slate roofs in Tudor Revival style. It is in two storeys with attics, and has a complex plan with a front of three bays. On the front the left bay projects forward under a gable; there is a gabled porch and a cantedbay window. The other windows are sashes.[28]
Originally one house, extended in 1860, and later divided into two, it is in Italianate style. The house is stuccoed and has a slate roof, and is in two storeys. On the front is an Ionicportico. The original interior is largely intact. The garden was laid out by Edward Kemp, and the sandstone walls, piers, and other structures designed by him are included in the listing.[29]
The monument to William Brown, a member of the family who ran the drapery firm of Browns of Chester, is in Overleigh Cemetery. It consists of an obelisk in polished granite about 4 metres (13 ft) high. On the plinth is an inscription giving details of his charitable and public works.[30]
The cenotaph to William Makepeace Thackeray, a Chester doctor and benefactor, is in Overleigh Cemetery. It is in sandstone, and in the form of an Eleanor cross. On the plinth is an inscription giving details of the doctor's life and achievements, and of the hospitals he served. The monument was restored in 1905. Included in the listing are two adjacent tombs. The doctor was the uncle of the novelist William Makepeace Thackeray.[31]
The church was designed by James Harrison, and is built in sandstone with a slate roof. It consists of a four-baynave and a lower, narrower, single-bay chancel. The entrance front at the west end contains double doors in an arched doorway above which are triple lancet windows.[32]
A pair of brick houses in Italianate style with stone dressings and a hippedslate roof. They are in two storeys, with an H-shaped plan. Between the projecting outer bays is a five-arched loggia, and the outer bays each has a single-storey cantedbay window. The windows are sashes, and at the top of the houses is a cornice and a parapet.[33]
A pair of cottages probably designed by James Harrison. They are in brick with slate roofs. The cottages are in two storeys with projecting lateral gabledbays, and porch bays between. Each cottage has a cantedbay window; the other windows are sashes.[34]
A pair of houses probably designed by James Harrison. They are in brick with slate roofs. The houses are in two storeys with projecting lateral gabledbays. On the end of each house is a small two-storey porch. The outer bays contain bay windows, and in the centre bays are three lancet windows. In the upper floor are triangular-headed casement windows.[35]
The monument to Richard Knill, a missionary and Congregational minister, is in Overleigh Cemetery. It is in freestone, and consists of an octagonal column with a spire finial standing on a plinth. The monument is about 3 metres (10 ft) high. Panels on the plinth are inscribed with details of his life, accomplishments, publications, and a biblical text.[36]
Originating as stables with a loft, the building has been converted into three dwellings. It is in brick with a slate roof. The building is in two storeys, and has an eight bay front. On the front are a former carriage entrance, a gabled porch, a Palladian window, and two gables. Most of the windows are sashes.[38][39]
A rendered villa with a hippedslate roof. It is in two storeys and has a front of six bays, the third and fourth bays projecting forward under a pediment, and the wider canted sixth bay also projects forward. There is an Ionic doorcase with an eared architrave, pilasters, and a segmental pediment. The rear of the villa overlooks the River Dee and contains three canted bay windows.[40]
The monument to U. Larsing, a Bengal missionary, is in Overleigh Cemetery. It consists of stone plinth over his tomb. The plinth is inscribed in English and in Welsh with details of his achievements.[41]
The rectory and associated buildings were designed by Grayson and Ould. They are in red brick with pargeting, and have tiled roofs. The rectory is in two storeys with attics, and there is a former church hall and service wing to the right. There is a central doorway with an oriel window above. The lateral wings project forward, and each has a pargeted gable. At the rear are two two-storey bay windows.[43][44]
A cottage designed by John Douglas and paid for by the 1st Duke of Westminster. It is built in red Ruabon brick with blue brick diapering and stone dressings. The cottage has slate roofs, and is in two storeys. The gable faces the road and contains mullioned windows. It is stepped and shaped, and has a ball finial. On the left is a porch with an ornate sandstone doorcase. The chimney has spiral moulded flues.[43][45]
The wall, railings and gates were designed by F. B. Wade and paid for by the 1st Duke of Westminster. The sandstone wall carries ornate wrought iron railings. The piers are also in sandstone, the main ones being cross-gabled, and the other with simple gables. There are two gates for pedestrians and two for carriages.[46]
Originally a working men's club, this was designed by T. M. Lockwood for the 1st Duke of Westminster. It is in two storeys with an attic. The ground floor is in sandstone, the upper part is in brick with stone dressings, and the roof is slated. The building occupies a corner site, and has shaped gables on three sides. Facing the comer is a projecting full-height porch, to the right of which is a canted stair-bay. The windows are mullioned and transomed.[2][49]
A pair of cottages designed by John Douglas for the 1st Duke of Westminster. They are in red brick with blue brick diapering and sandstone dressings, and have slate roofs. They are in two storeys with one gable each. The doorways are in the centre with simple sandstone cases and carving in the lintels. The outer part of each cottage contains a door to the yard. The windows are mullioned.[52]
The milepost is in cast iron and consists of an octagonal post on a plinth 2 metres (6.6 ft) high. It carries a plate inscribed "CHESTER CROSS 1 MILE".[53]
The milepost is in cast iron and consists of an octagonal post on a plinth 2 metres (6.6 ft) high. It carries a plate inscribed "CHESTER CROSS 1 MILE".[54]
A detached house built in brick and timber-framing with tiled roofs in free Vernacular Revival style. It is in two storeys and has a symmetrical three-bay. In the centre is a two-storey porch carried on Roman Doric stone columns. To its left is a single-storey cantedbay window. In the upper storey is a five-light oriel window in the porch, and close-studded timber-framing. The other windows are casements. At the top of the porch is a gable with carved bargeboards.[56]
This was built as a hydro-electric generating station on the River Dee, and later used as a pumping station. It was designed to harmonise with the adjacent Old Dee Bridge, and is constructed in sandstone. On the front facing Castle Drive is an inscribed stone panel. The sides extend for three bays that are separated by buttresses and which contain pairs of lancet windows.[57][58][59]
The lychgate consists of oak framing on a sandstone base, with a stone-slate roof. The gates are also in oak, and there are wall plates, one of which is inscribed.[60]
A public house in brick, partly stuccoed, with a slate roof. Its architectural styles are a mix of Georgian and Art Deco. The public house is in two storeys. On the front is a semicircular portico carried on two columns and two half-columns, flanked by two bow windows on each side. On the right side is a porch carried on two columns, with a bow window on each side. At the top of this front is a pediment. In the upper floor on both fronts are casement windows.[61]
This was originally the Church of England chapel, and later used as an Eastern Orthodox Church. It is built in brick and has a slate roof. It is rectangular in plan, with a north aisle, a northwest tower, and an outshut to the south. The tower has a broach spire, and contains an open porch and a clock.[62]
A row of twelve shops with flats above. They are in two storeys, and are designed in late Vernacular Revival style. One of the units faces Queen's Park Road, four are on Mill Street, and the rest stretch along Handbridge. The lower storey is in brick surfaced to resemble sandstone, and the upper storey is jettied and timber-framed with plaster panels; the roofs are slated. In the ground floor are shop fronts and paired doorways to the flats.[63]
The lodge was probably designed by Charles Reilly. It is stuccoed, has a slate roof, is in two storeys, and has a symmetrical three-bay front. In the centre is a basket arch, and at the top is a broken pediment. Above the arch and in the lateral bays are sash windows.[7][64]
The walls and gate piers were probably designed by Charles Reilly. They are in sandstone, the wall being approximately 1 metre (3.3 ft) high. There are three pairs of gate piers; the original gates and railings are lost.[65]
A K6 type telephone kiosk, designed by Giles Gilbert Scott. Constructed in cast iron with a square plan and a dome, it has three unperforated crowns in the top panels.[66]
The cenotaph is a memorial to those who fell in the First World War. It is in white stone, and consists of a cross on a base of two octagonal steps and a plinth. The total height of the cenotaph is about 5 metres (16 ft). There is an inscription on the plinth.[67]