Browns of Chester
(1780-present)
place and department store
Aged 244
Wikidata WikipediaBrowns was a department store in Chester established in 1780 by Susannah Brown. The store traded from its site on Chester's Eastgate Street from 1791 until 2021. Once regarded as the "Harrods of the North", the building interior contains many ornate features such as glass-domed roofs and elaborate plasterwork surrounding small chandeliers in the main entrance area. Some of the glass roof on the second floor has been concealed as it has been covered by the construction of the third-floor extension which contained the main café and Kalmora Spa. The oldest part of the store is housed in the Grade I listed Crypt Chambers, designed by T. M. Penson incorporating Georgian, Tudor and Gothic facades. Construction was completed in 1858. The building incorporates part of the Chester Rows. On the front of the tower at Row level is a blank scroll, on the east face is a recessed panel containing the initials W. B. (for William Brown), on the west face the initials are C. B. (for Charles Brown) and on the rear face is a scroll inscribed AD 1858: Crypt Chambers. The Gothic facade frontage is built over a medieval undercroft dating from the twelfth century. The undercroft most recently contained 'The Tea Press' tea room. Another extension to the building was completed in 1965 to link Browns to the nearby Grosvenor shopping centre. A new three-story extension was built in 2002 on the site formerly occupied by the offices of the Chester Chronicle. It was acquired by Debenhams in 1976. Browns was the only store in the group to retain its own trading name alongside the standard 'Debenhams' branding. Debenhams entered liquidation in early 2021 and all remaining stores closed during May that year. The building is owned by British Land.
DbPedia
Commemorated on 2 plaques
Millenium Festival Trail (Chester) #22
Browns of Chester
Eastgate Street, Chester, United Kingdom where it sited
Browns of Chester Debenhams Established in the reign of King George III, Browns of Chester has traded continuously from this site since 1791. Major rebuilding was carried out by Charles and William Brown in the mid nineteenth century, with the frontage incorporating Gothic, Georgian and Tudor style facades being completed in 1858 to designs by architect T. M. Penson. The Gothic building incorporates a medieval undercroft dating from the twelth century. Extensions and modifications have taken place throughout the history of the store, a major element of which was the link to the Grosvenor shopping centre in 1965. Debenhams acquired the store in 1976, and have maintained the tradition of continual development with a major investment in 2002 to refurbish the entire store, and create a three storey extension to the retail areas on the site formerly occupied by the offices of the Chester Chronicle.
Browns of Chester, Debenhams - Eastgate Street, Chester, United Kingdom where it sited (1791)