Halls Fine Art 17th Century Carved Wooden Panel

lot 179: A 17TH CENTURY CARVED VERNACULAR OAK PANEL PORTRAYING THE FACADE OF GOD’S PROVIDENCE HOUSE, CHESTER

£800 - £1,200

A 17th century carved vernacular oak panel portraying the facade of God's Providence House, Chester, the thick cut panel of pointed form with relief carved detail of the house as it stood upon it’s completion in 1652, with a single figure standing at ground level, two further figures populate the balcony above, beside a single staircase with pierced carved banister, the mid-beam inscribed ‘Gods Providence Is Mine Inheritance’, below a top beam with central initials ‘WIW’, flanked with dates 1652, 26.5 x 17cm, 3cm deep, on a later carved oak base.

Sold alongside a George V period black and white photographic postcard depicting Gods Providence House in 1909

Further Reading

The name God's Providence House is reputed to have been given due to the legend surrounding the building that stood here prior to the construction of this house. The original property, which is believed to date from the 13th century, is reported to have been the only one in a considerable area whose inhabitants escaped the plague that swept through Chester in 1647-48, which killed some 2000 in the city (the population at the time is estimated to have been only around 5000 or so) The original building was destroyed and the current house built in 1652. The facade of the house differing slightly in the postcard photograph as this details the later Victorian work visible today.

The house’s future looked uncertain in the 19th century as the then owners looked to demolish it but were pressured not to do so by The Chester and North Wales Architectural, Archaeological and Historical Society who campaigned against the loss of ancient and historic buildings in the city. Instead, the 19th century owners enlisted James Harrison in 1862 to add a more contemporary feel to the ancient facade in keeping with the trends of the day, resulting in the more decorative look that the building adopted from this time. known as a pioneer of ‘black-and-white revival’, Harrison’s work here has been described as “the first conservation case in the modern sense”*. God’s Providence House is located at No. 9 Watergate Street, Chester, Cheshire. The grade II listed house incorporates part of the Chester Rows.

*As referred to in Cheshire, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London, Harwell, Hyde and Pevsner.