Jones Cottages

Cadw's description

Location

Situated in New Brighton towards the SE end of the highest level of buildings on the hillside overlooking Minera.

History

Later C19 pair of houses built c1865 as part of New Brighton, a lead-mining community, for which the trustees of the Chester Charities sold 24 plots in 1865, 4 for pubs. This part of Minera parish known as 'City Lands' was beqeathed by Owen Jones (d1659), a butcher of Chester, to 'the poor of every Company of Merchants and Craftsmen in the City of Chester'. The area was agricultural until the mid-C18 when a trustee of the charity, Alderman Richardson, promoted lead prospecting so successfully that between 1761 and 1781 some £13,000 were paid to the charity in royalties.

Exterior

Pair of semi-detached houses, rubble stone with squared stone quoins, slate close-eaved roof and shared central brick stack. Two storeys, each cottage single-fronted with door to outside and one large 16-pane hornless sash each floor. Tooled stone lintels and sills, the ground floor lintels large and shaped. Boarded doors. Rear elevation of each cottage has single 4-pane window to each floor.

Reason for designation

Listed as a well-preserved example of a pair of later C19 workers cottages connected with the Minera lead mines, historically important with others in this industrial settlement pattern.