Chester Rows at the Cross

Chester Rows at The Cross, looking southeast down Eastgate Street in Chester, England. Chester Rows are a set of Georgian and Victorian buildings in each of the four main streets of Chester, in the United Kingdom, consisting of a series of covered walkways on the first floor behind which are entrances to shops and businesses. At street level is another set of shops and other businesses, many of which are entered by going down a few steps. From left to right, the businesses at street level are, "Vernon's Wholesale and Sweet Stores, a fishing tackle store, Thomas Nicholls & Co., Tobacco Manufacturers, Robert Catley, jeweller, [the entrance to the first floor shops], then the T. Deakin shop." A blurred cart is farthest on the left. Two men are standing by a streetlight in front of the Vernon Wholesale and Sweet shop on the sidewalk by the cobblestone street on the left side of the photograph. The fishing tackle shop has many of its wears displayed out front. The tobacco shop has a sheet hanging over each window advertising the shop. A shopkeeper and a man have their backs to the camera as they enter the jewelry shop. Two men stand and talk outside of the jewelry shop on the sidewalk. Going up the stairs to the first-floor shops, a girl and a woman in an apron are heading up the stairs with their backs to the camera. Another woman wearing an apron and a boy stand sideways to the camera on either side of the woman and girl going up the stairs. Two men stand talking on the cobblestone street by a cart from the Blossoms Hotel with two wicker trunks loaded on the cart. A man stands in the window the T. Deakin shop leaning his head on his hand. Meat hangs in the first window of the T. Deakin shop. A person stands in an archway of the first floor covered walkway leaning on the railing and watching the street scene below. The only legible business names from the first floor are, "J.E. Brown, Goldsmith" and "Mills." Partially legible is Madam and Millinery on a sign. Printed in white ink in the bottom left-hand corner, "Bedford 1717." Printed in white ink along the bottom center of the photograph is Chester, The Cross and Eastgate Street."