Regent and Warwick House

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16-18a High St, Nantwich.jpg
Warwick (left) and Regent House (right), High Street, Nantwich
12 High St Nantwich.jpg
Regent House occupies a bend in the street, which reflects the town's Norman castle

Regent House and Warwick House together form a large timber-framed building, probably dating from the late 16th century, in Nantwich, Cheshire, England. Regent House occupies numbers 12 and 14, and Warwick House numbers 16 and 18a, on the west side of the High Street (at SJ6502652380 and SJ6504252377 ); Regent House occupies a bend in the street which reflects the town's Norman castle. The building was probably constructed shortly after the fire of 1583. Regent House and Warwick House are listed separately at grade II. [1] [2]

Timber framing building technique, construction method using heavy squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers

Timber framing and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs. It is commonplace in wooden buildings through the 19th century. If the structural frame of load-bearing timber is left exposed on the exterior of the building it may be referred to as half-timbered, and in many cases the infill between timbers will be used for decorative effect. The country most known for this kind of architecture is Germany. Timber framed houses are spread all over the country except in the southeast.

Nantwich market town and civil parish in Cheshire, England

Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in Cheshire, England. It is known for having among the highest concentrations of listed buildings in England, with particularly good examples of Tudor and Georgian architecture. In 2011, it had a population of 17,424.

Cheshire County of England

Cheshire is a county in North West England, bordering Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south, and Flintshire and Wrexham County Borough in Wales to the west. Cheshire's county town is the City of Chester (118,200); the largest town is Warrington (209,700). Other major towns include Crewe (71,722), Ellesmere Port (55,715), Macclesfield (52,044), Runcorn (61,789), Widnes (61,464) and Winsford (32,610), Northwich (19,924)

Contents

High Street was the home of the wealthiest townspeople in the 1580s, and the houses dating from the rebuilding form the finest examples of post-fire architecture in the town. [3] The modern street still contains many other good examples of Elizabethan timber-framed buildings, all of which date from after the fire; these include the Queen's Aid House, number 46 and the grade-I-listed Crown Inn. [4]

Elizabethan architecture term given to early Renaissance architecture in England, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I

Elizabethan architecture refers to buildings of aesthetic ambition constructed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland from 1558–1603. Historically, the era sits between the long era of dominant architectural patronage of ecclesiastical buildings by the Catholic Church which ended abruptly at the Dissolution of the Monasteries from c.1536, and the advent of a court culture of pan-European artistic ambition under James I (1603–25). Stylistically, Elizabethan architecture is notably pluralistic. It came at the end of insular traditions in design and construction called the Perpendicular style in church building, the fenestration, vaulting techniques and open truss designs of which often affected the detail of larger domestic buildings. However, English design had become open to the influence of early printed architectural texts imported to England by ecclesiasts as early as the 1480s. Into the 16th century, illustrated continental pattern-books introduced a wide range of architectural examplars, fuelled by the archaeology of classical Rome which inspired myriad printed designs of increasing elaboration and abstraction.

Queens Aid House Grade II listed house in Nantwich, Cheshire, UK

The Queen's Aid House, or 41 High Street, is a timber-framed, black-and-white Elizabethan merchant's house in Nantwich, Cheshire, England. It is located on the High Street immediately off the town square and opposite the junction with Castle Street. It is listed at grade II. Built shortly after the fire of 1583 by Thomas Cleese, a local craftsman, it has three storeys with attics, and features ornamental panelling, overhangs or jetties at each storey, and a 19th-century oriel window. The building is best known for its contemporary inscription commemorating Elizabeth I's aid in rebuilding the town, which gives the building its name. It has been used as a café, as well as various types of shop.

46 High Street, Nantwich

46 High Street is a timber-framed, black-and-white Elizabethan merchant's house in Nantwich, Cheshire, England, located near the town square at the corner of High Street and Castle Street. The present building dates from shortly after the fire of 1583, and is believed to have been built for Thomas Churche, a linen merchant from one of the prominent families of the town. It remained in the Churche family until the late 19th century.

History

The bend in the High Street which Regent House now occupies follows the outer wall of the Norman Nantwich Castle. [5] [6] Built before 1180, the castle is believed to have been located on slightly elevated ground between the River Weaver and the modern High Street and Castle Street, probably near the Crown Inn. The castle was last recorded in 1462. [5] [7] [8]

Normans European ethnic group emerging in the 10th and 11th century in France

The Normans are a Germanic ethnic group that arose in Normandy, a northern region of France, from contact between Viking settlers and indigenous Franks and Gallo-Romans. The settlements followed a series of raids on the French coast from Denmark, Norway, and Iceland, and they gained political legitimacy when the Viking leader Rollo agreed to swear fealty to King Charles III of West Francia. The distinct cultural and ethnic identity of the Normans emerged initially in the first half of the 10th century, and it continued to evolve over the succeeding centuries.

Nantwich Castle was a Norman castle in Nantwich, Cheshire, England, built before 1180 to guard a ford across the River Weaver. The castle is first documented in 1288. It was last recorded in 1462, and was in ruins by 1485. No trace now remains above ground; excavations in 1978 near the Crown Inn uncovered terracing and two ditches, one or both of which possibly formed the castle's bailey.

River Weaver river in Cheshire, England

The River Weaver is a river, navigable in its lower reaches, running in a curving route anti-clockwise across west Cheshire, northern England. Improvements to the river to make it navigable were authorised in 1720 and the work, which included eleven locks, was completed in 1732. An unusual clause in the enabling Act of Parliament stipulated that profits should be given to the County of Cheshire for the improvement of roads and bridges, but the navigation was not initially profitable, and it was 1775 before the first payments were made. Trade continued to rise, and by 1845, over £500,000 had been given to the county.

The existing Regent and Warwick House is believed to have been built shortly after the 1583 fire, [4] which destroyed all the buildings on the west side of High Street, together with much of the town east of the River Weaver. [9] The stretch of the High Street running between the river and what is now the town square included four of the seven inns destroyed by the fire: the Crown, the principal inn of the town; the Bell, a major inn with 17 beds; the Cock, site of cock-fighting; and the Bear, which kept four bears for bear-baiting. [9] [10] [11] [12] There was also a butcher's shop and a smithy. [11]

Cockfight Blood sport

A cockfight is a blood sport between two cocks, or gamecocks, held in a ring called a cockpit. The history of raising fowl for fighting goes back 6,000 years. The first documented use of the word gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or entertainment, was recorded in 1634, after the term "cock of the game" used by George Wilson, in the earliest known book on the sport of cockfighting in The Commendation of Cocks and Cock Fighting in 1607. But it was during Magellan's voyage of discovery of the Philippines in 1521 when modern cockfighting was first witnessed and documented by Antonio Pigafetta, Magellan's chronicler, in the kingdom of Taytay.

Bear-baiting Blood sport with bears

Bear-baiting is a blood sport involving the worrying or tormenting (baiting) of bears. It may involve pitting a bear against another animal.

The building was updated in the late 18th century. Sash windows were added, and the original triangular gables were replaced by a section with timber uprights which imitated the parapets of late Georgian townhouses. [5] The timberwork on the first storey of Warwick House was later covered with roughcast. [2]

Sash window Window made of one or more movable panels

A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels, or "sashes", that form a frame to hold panes of glass, which are often separated from other panes by glazing bars, also known as muntins in the US. Although any window with this style of glazing is technically a sash, the term is used almost exclusively to refer to windows where the glazed panels are opened by sliding vertically, or horizontally in a style known as a "Yorkshire light", sliding sash, or sash and case.

Gable Architectural feature

A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesthetic concerns. A gable wall or gable end more commonly refers to the entire wall, including the gable and the wall below it.

Parapet Architectural feature

A parapet is a barrier which is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian parapetto. The German equivalent Brüstung has the same meaning. Where extending above a roof, a parapet may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the edge line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a fire wall or party wall. Parapets were originally used to defend buildings from military attack, but today they are primarily used as guard rails and to prevent the spread of fires. In the Bible the Hebrews are obligated to build a parapet on the roof of their houses to prevent people falling.

Regent House housed the Regent Cycle Stores in around 1900, and later the cycle manufacturer's, Raven Cycle Co. [13] [14] In the 1990s it was an estate agent's and, from 1999, an independent furniture retailers. [15] [16] As of 2010, it is used as a charity shop. In 1914, Warwick House was the premises of William Johnson, a "hosier, glover & draper & ladies' & children's outfitter". [14] It has been a chemist's shop since the late 20th century.

Description

Regent and Warwick House is a timber-framed, black-and-white building, constructed around the corner of the street. It has three storeys, each of which have jetties, under a tiled roof. [1] [2] [4] The exterior has close studding on the first and second storeys. There is a middle rail on the first storey and two horizontal timbers on the second storey, which was substantially altered in the 18th century. [5] The timbering is covered with roughcast on the first storey of Warwick House. [2]

Regent House retains eight of the original wooden mullioned windows on the first and second floors, which alternate with 18th-century sash windows. [1] [5] The main doorway of Regent House is on the corner and is flanked by columns. Warwick House has an 18th-century doorway to the right side of the façade; its windows are all 18th-century sashes. [2] The ground floor is occupied with shop fronts, which date from the 19th or 20th century on Regent House, and are modern on Warwick House. [1] [2]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Historic England. "Regent House, Nantwich (1138688)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Historic England. "Warwick House, Nantwich (1206132)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  3. ↑ Lake, pp. 30, 93–95, 104
  4. 1 2 3 Pevsner & Hubbard, pp. 287–88
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Lake, pp. 3–4, 92
  6. ↑ Garton, 1983, p. 10
  7. ↑ McNeil Sale R. et al.. Archaeology in Nantwich: Crown Car Park Excavations (Bemrose Press; 1978)
  8. ↑ Garton, 1972, p. 8
  9. 1 2 Lake, pp. 67–70
  10. ↑ Lake, p. 35
  11. 1 2 Garton, 1983, p. 80
  12. ↑ Historic England. "Coffee House Cafe Crown Inn, Nantwich (1330054)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  13. ↑ Whatley, plate 26
  14. 1 2 Kelly's Directory (1914)
  15. ↑ Simpson, plate 36
  16. ↑ About Mia Stanza, Mia Stanza, archived from the original on 20 October 2010, retrieved 7 August 2010

Sources

Coordinates: 53°04′03″N2°31′24″W / 53.0675°N 2.5233°W / 53.0675; -2.5233

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