140–142 Hospital Street, Nantwich

140–142 Hospital Street, sometimes known as Hospital House, is a substantial townhouse in Nantwich, Cheshire, England, located on the south side of Hospital Street (at SJ6557452166). The building is listed at grade II. It was built in the late 16th century by John Crewe, a tanner, whose sons Randolph and Thomas both served as the Speaker of the House of Commons. The original timber-framed, close-studded façade has been concealed by alterations during the late 17th century; these include the addition of small-paned casement windows, some of which contain old heraldic stained glass. The building was further altered and extended in the 18th century, with the addition of two Gothic-style entrances. Later occupants include the architect, Thomas Bower, and the building remains in residential use. The present building is believed to stand on the site of the medieval Hospital of St Nicholas, which gives Hospital Street its name. Stone remains discovered in the garden have been associated with the hospital.

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Hospital of St Nicholas, Nantwich

The Hospital of St Nicholas (variously known as St Nicholas Hospital, the Hospice of St Nicholas and the free Chapel and Hospice of St Nicholas) was a medieval hospital for travellers, which gave its name to Hospital Street in the English town of Nantwich in Cheshire. Founded in 1083–84 by William Malbank, first baron of Nantwich, it was dissolved in 1548 and probably later demolished.

Historic Site Landmark

The Rookery, Nantwich

The Rookery, or 125 Hospital Street, is a substantial Georgian townhouse in Nantwich, Cheshire, England. It is at the end of Hospital Street, on the north side, at the junction with Millstone Lane (at SJ6558752192). The existing building dates from the mid-18th century and is listed at grade II; English Heritage describes it as "good" in the listing. Nikolaus Pevsner describes it as "square and stately." It incorporates an earlier timber-framed house at the rear, which probably dates from the late 16th or early 17th century. The Rookery is one of a group of houses dating originally from the 15th and 16th centuries at the end of Hospital Street, which include Churche's Mansion, number 116 and numbers 140–142. These buildings survived the fire of 1583, which destroyed the town end of Hospital Street together with much of the centre of Nantwich. The Rookery is believed to stand near the site of the medieval Hospital of St Nicholas, which gives Hospital Street its name.

Historic Site Landmark

Combermere House, Nantwich

Combermere House, or 148 Hospital Street, is a Georgian town house in Nantwich, Cheshire, England, which dates from the mid-18th century. It is on the south side of Hospital Street (at SJ6561152154), near the end of the street and opposite the junction with Millstone Lane. The building has previously been known by other street numbers, including number 154. It is listed at grade II, and local historian Jane Stevenson describes it as "sheer perfection". The end of Hospital Street contains many notable buildings. Combermere House is adjacent to Churche's Mansion, an Elizabethan mansion which is listed at grade I. It stands opposite The Rookery and near numbers 116 and 140–142, other town houses of Georgian appearance; however, unlike these buildings, there is no evidence that Combermere House incorporates a 15th or 16th century structure. Combermere House is believed to stand near the site of the medieval Hospital of St Nicholas, which gives Hospital Street its name.

Historic Site Landmark

Churche's Mansion

Churche's Mansion is a timber-framed, black-and-white Elizabethan mansion house at the eastern end of Hospital Street in Nantwich, Cheshire, England. The Grade I listed building dates from 1577, and is one of the few to have survived the Great Fire of Nantwich in 1583. Built by Thomas Clease for Richard Churche, a wealthy Nantwich merchant, and his wife, it remained in their family until the 20th century. In the early 1930s, it was rescued from being shipped to the United States by Edgar and Irene Myott, who restored the building. As well as a dwelling, the mansion has been used as a school, restaurant, antiques shop, and granary and hay store. The building has an H-shaped plan with four gables to the front; the upper storey and the attics all overhang with jetties. The upper storeys feature decorative panels over close studding to the ground floor, and the exterior has many gilded carvings. The mullioned-and-transomed windows have leaded lights, a few of which are original. On the interior, the principal rooms have oak panelling, some of which is Elizabethan in date, with two fine overmantels; there is also a coffin drop. The architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner considered Churche's Mansion to be among the best timber-framed Elizabethan buildings in Cheshire, describing it as "an outstanding piece of decorated half-timber architecture."

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