Things to do in Chester

Chester is a very picturesque city with it's black and white half timbered and Georgian rows, castle,walls and river.

There is a wealth of things to do in Chester. Here is a list of some of them

The Walls Chester Castle The Groves The River Dee Grosvenor Park The Rows Chester Zoo

Chester Grosvenor Museum Dewa Roman Experience Chester Races Chester Amphitheatre Roman Gardens Chester Cathedral Shropshire Union Canal

 

 

 

 

 

The Walls	Gallery Link	The first walls were erected by the Romans. Over the succeeding centuries they have been, broken by warfare, strengthened, enlarged and modified. they have suffered from the passage of time. But, unique amongst cities in the British Isles, you can still walk a complete circuit of the walls around the city centre. Although large sections of the wall are flat walking, access to them is only available by step. Each of the gates also requires the use of steps. The section at the Roodee is at road level and a section of wall overlooking the River can be accessed from street level along Park Street. Ramps are also available near the Cathedral Bell tower and from the Kale yard door in Abbey Street on the North side of the Cathedral. These will give access to lengths of the walls. The section between the Bridge Gate running west past the castle is along roadway.
Chester Castle		Chester castle started life as a Norman Motte and Bailey built after the Conquest in 1066. Later Edward 1st built a defensive work to be the administrative centre of his actions against the Welsh in North Wales. Little remains of this Castle apart from some of the Medieval walls and the Agricolar Tower, substantial parts of the fortification having been demolished to make way for the county hall, law courts, prison and army barracks in the 18th century. The remains of the medieval castle are, unfortunately, only accessible by guided tour from the Chester Tourist information office in the Town Hall Square. But within the grounds of the civic centre there is the Cheshire Military museum.
The Groves	Gallery Link	The Groves are a riverside promenade that occupies an area on the Northern bank of the River Dee. The area nearest the Old Dee bridge was built in 1725 as a walking area linked to the walls by the Recorder's Steps. At the western end lie Earl Hugo's weir and the 14th century Dee Bridge. In the centre the 19th century pedestrian suspension bridge and at the the western end the Royal Chester and the Grosvenor rowing clubs. In the Groves there are restaurants, bars, cafes and ice cream kiosks. River cruises regularly depart from the Groves in the summer months and pleasure boats can be hired for you to power yourselves up the river. There is a band stand where concerts are performed. Every July a raft race takes place on the river and since 1733 there has been a rowing regatta held in May. Links Chester Boat (river cruises) Royal Chester Rowing Club The Grosvenor Rowing Club Chester Regatta
The River Dee	Gallery Link	The river flows from deep within North Wales 70 miles to pass through Chester before reaching the Irish sea. As it enters Chester there are the Earls Eye water meadows and along the river as it passes through the city there are pathways along the banks. Including The Groves and the racecourse. It's possible to walk along the south bank from the Dee bridge to Eccleston where a ferry used to cross the river and along the north bank from the Dee bridge to Hawarden Railway bridge at Queensferry, just before the river becomes an estuary. To the west of the Dee Bridge on the southern bank is Edgar's field where King Edgar is said to have had his palace and where the eight kings rowed him to St Johns Church in 973. Here also are the exposed remains of Roman stone quarry and the shrine to Minerva carved into the rock.
Grosvenor Park	More>>	The park was opened in 1867 and was the gift of  Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster.  Most of the park is laid out with lawn and flower beds. The central tree lined avenue leading to a statue of the 2nd Marquess. The park affords some spectacular views of the river below it. It contains a collection of stone relics from Chester's past. Including an archway that once formed tha Ship Gate near the Dee Bridge. There is a children's play and during school holidays the Grosvenor Park Miniature Railway runs daily along a track at the eastern end of the park. Times vary at other times of the year. Links Grosvenor Park Grosvenor Park Miniature Railway
The Rows	Gallery Link	Chester's Row shopping area is unique. It's origins are shrouded in mystery but they are a great delight to discover. There are street level shops, or rather shops that are slightly below pavement level. And shops that are on a level above the road with a walkway that crosses over the top of the street level shops. The Rows can be found on the four main streets that follow the pattern of the old Roman Fort. The buildings date from a range of periods. Some are medieval, some Georgian and many are Victorian built as half timbered buildings like the medieval ones. Within the rows you can find a large variety of shops, bars, cafes and restaurants. But apart from the shopping it really is the heart of Chester, as fascinating to walk around as the walls.
Chester Zoo	Gallery Link	Chester Zoo is one of the UK's largest and is found on the Northern outskirts of the city. Begun in 1930 by George Mottershead around Oakfield House, then the family's home. Originally covering 9 acres the current Zoo occupies over 111 acres of land in Upton, Chester. The Zoo is an all season, all weather attraction with outdoor and indoor exhibits of over 400 species of animal. From Asian Elephants, Rhinos' Chimpanzees, Orangutans, Lions and Tigers to Parrots and Butterflies. A visit to the Zoo is a day trip in itself. Easy access, most of the Zoo is at ground level and there are ramps where height is required. There are plentiful food outlets, gift shops and other amenities. Links Chester Zoo
Chester Grosvenor Museum		The Grosvenor Museum was opened in 1886 by the first Duke of Westminster who had provided a substantial sum to it's building. It houses a large number of artifacts and exhibits connected with the history of Chester. There is an extensive exhibition about the Roman period, including a gallery of sculpture and carved stone work found, at various periods, around Chester. There is an art gallery housing portraits and paintings of Chester dating from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. And paintings from historic collections from around Chester.A natural history gallery which contains a typically Victorian collection of stuffed wildlife from the region, including a reconstruction of a vIctorian naturaliusts study. And a large collection of Chester silverware. At the rear of the Museum, within a typical Chester townhouse the museum recreates rooms of various periods as well as displaying aspects of the house itself. The Museum is open all year round and has a program of temprary ehibitions in addition to it's permanent collection. Links Grosvenor Museum
Dewa Roman Experience		The Dewa Roman Experience is in the city off Bridge Street.  It is a privately owned establishment that contains Roman artifacts, displays of Roman life and genuine archeological Roman fortress remains in the basement. The Dewa Roman Experience is not a museum and, being a privately run establishment, has it's idiosyncrasies. But it should be experienced with this in mind. Roman city tours, led by guides in legionary costume are available for the public and school parties. Links Dewa Roman Experience
Chester Races		Chester Racecourse is located on an area of land, bordered by a bend of the River Dee, called the Roodee. This was the location of Chester's port, from Roman times, until the 18th century.To the north it is bordered by the city wall where a good view can be gained. The racecourse is said to be the oldest still in use and one of the shortest. Being so close to the city centre it is a popular destination for race goers. Racing starts in May and continues at intervals through to the autumn. Links Chester Racecourse
Chester Amphitheatre		Until the 1920s no one new that there had been an amphitheatre in Chester. It wasn't until builders unearthed a part of it and the city council proposed building a road across the site that it came to light. The remains of the amphithetre had been cleared during the defence of Chester during the civil war and two georgian houses stood on the site, one bing demolished in the 1920's. It is believed that it was built in 79AD and went through perids of use and disuse until the end of the Roman period. Today the ring of the Amphitheatre can plainly be seen and the vistor is able to walk across the exposed half of the monument.
Roman Gardens		The Roman Gardens can be found between the Amphitheatre and the Newgate on Pepper Street. They run along the wall towrds the river. The garden contains a collecton of stonework relating to the Roman period including columns and a reconstruction of a Roman hypercaust (underfloor heating). Part of the wall here was breached during the Civil War siege of Chester and there is evidence of the rebuilt wall. From the gardens you can descend the hill to the Groves by the river Dee
Chester Cathedral		The current Cathedral dates back to 1092 when a monestary was founded on the site by Hugh Lupus first Earl of Chester. Although there had been an earlier church on the site when St Werburgh's remains were brought to Chester in 907 for safe keeping against the Vikings. And before that the site may have had Druidic connections before housing a temple dedicated to Apollo during the Roman period. Over the intervening centuries the building has been constently altered and modernised. It became the city Cathedral during the dissolution of the monestaries in1540. The most recent renovations to the fabric of the church were made under the supervision of George Gilbert Scott (designer of many great Victorian buildings like St Pancras Station and many churches and catherdrals) in the 1870's. The detached bell tower was built in 1975 and the cathedral song school added in 2005. The cathedral houses the only surviving ecclesastical court in the country Link Chester Cathedral
Shropshire Union Canal	Gallery Link	Constructed in the latter half of the 18th century the canal was a dramatic addition to the geography of Chester. Originally connecting Chester with Nantwhich, in 1797 it linked to Ellesmere Port and opened up as a commercial route between Liverpool, the Mersey and Chester. And by the 1830s Chester was linked to the rest of the canal network. The cutting beneath the northern city walls is the most dramatic feature of the canal. It helps to accentuate the dramatic effect of the earlier defensive work. Along its' banks to the north east of the city industry grew as raw materials were brought. One of the most dramatic reminders of these is the Shot Tower, now devoid of the rest of the factory. Here molten lead was dropped from a great height befoer cooling to form lead balls for muskets in the Napoleonic Wars and later. Built in 1799 it is the oldest of only three remaining in Britain. Further along the canal is the impressive Steam Mill building now a business centre. Both of these buildings are dramatically present on Chester's skyline. To the west of the Northgate Bridge as the canal emerges from the deep cutting is a staircase of three locks that take the canal down to an abrupt turn into the Tower Wharf canal basin. Here there are visiting and permanent barge residents and Telford's Warehouse. A popular bar, restaurant and music venue housed in the one remaining canal wharehouse. At the northern end of the basin is a curious collection of buildings and boat paraphenalia. This is Taylor's Boatyard. By it is a classic example of canal bridge work as the tow path crosses from the west to the eastern bank, with straif=ght and curving ramps to ensure that the horses drawing the boats could cross without being unharnessed. At the western side of the canal basin at a lower level is a spur that connects the canal to the River Dee. Link Chester Canal Heritage Trust

Chester Map

View Chester a portrait in a larger map

Chester: The Roman period

 

There is little known about the area around the city of Chester prior to the Roman occupation. But the site, being located at a natural harbour, a river crossing and the highest navigable point on the river Dee must have had some significance in the centuries before the invasion. Pottery remains have been found to suggest that there was trade with Rome and the western Mediterranean prior to the Roman occupation.

It was shortly after 74AD that the Second legion arrived from Lincoln to build a new legionary depot at what we now call Chester as part of the campaign against the Brigantes, the northern Celtic tribe. With it's harbour and strategic location amongst unruly British tribes, and with a possible invasion of Ireland Chester was developed as a major military base. Named Deva Victrix after the river on which it stands.

At 25 hectares (62 acres) it was the largest fort constructed in the period. It contained a headquarters building (principia), barracks for the soldiers, granaries for food storage and baths. It had a gate on each of the four walls and roads that ran directly between them. These today can be seen as Northgate Street, Eastgate Street, Bridge Street and Watergate Street. Around the military stronghold, a large civilian settlement, the canabae, established to support the military effort and in this area the early wooden amphitheatre was built.

Around 90AD the second legion was replaced by the Twentieth who had taken part in the invasion of Britannia in 43AD. Here the Legio XX Valeria Victrix remained for more than 300 years. In the second century much of the largely timber built military depot was rebuilt in stone. Along the walls they built 22 square towers about 60 metres(200feet) apart. An indication of the Roman desire to make their base at Chester a permanent position. And perhaps an indication of the reluctance of the native British to succumb to Roman rule. The high standard of the masonry work is an indication of how important the location had become to the empire. The walls were built of large sandstone blocks without mortar, a technique usually reserved for temple or city walls rather than those of a fortress.

At this time the wooden amphitheatre was enlarged and rebuilt in stone to accommodate an audience of between 8,000 and 10,000 people. The largest such structure in Britain. And the wooden bridge across the Dee replaced with a stronger stone based one.

In the latter half of the 2nd century Chester began to see some demilitarisation as the 20th legion saw service along Hadrians Wall, building the Antonine Wall and in other parts of the empire. Some of the Military buildings appear to have been neglected whilst there appears to have been more development in the canabae outside. However, under Emperor Septimus Severus, at the end of the 2nd century and into the 3rd great building activity took place and constructions planned a century before were completed.

Roman military occupation may have ended at the end of the 4th century AD as the Roman Empire dissipated. In around 401AD the 20th legion was recalled to defend Rome itself against the invading Visigoths.

Chester probably continued to be occupied by the civilian population and may have become a stronghold of the Kingdom Of Powys within who's boundaries it stood. The name Chester, as in many settlements around England that had their origins as Roman camp, is derived from the Latin word castrum, meaning “fort” or “army camp”. It shares this with places like Winchester, Cirencester, Worcester and Gloucester.

In Edgars Field, Handbridge, on the south bank of the Dee there are the remains of a Roman quarry where sandstone building material was extracted for the building of Deva Victrix. On a wall of the quarry is a shrine devoted to the godess Minerva. It lies at the side of the Roman road approaching the city from the south. This is the only such shrine still in it's original place in Britain.

 

 

Chester: The River Dee

Below the city centre Chester is divided by the River Dee. The river rises above Llanuwchllyn in Merioneth (Gwynedd), North Wales, and passes through Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake) before sweeping through Llangollen and then heading northwards, through Bangor to pass over the weir in Chester and eventually out into the Irish Sea. It is some 70miles long. Once it reaches Farndon (on the English bank) and Holt (on the Welsh bank) 8 miles south of Chester it forms the border between England and Wales before entering England to pass through Chester then flows back into Wales where it remains until passing out to sea.

The river was the reason the Romans came to build their fort here and the area below the city now called The Roodee, which is now occupied by the racecourse was where the harbour was located until silting of the river and the ascent of Liverpool made it no longer viable for sea going vessels.

The canalising of the river, the 5 miles between Chester and Queensferry and the sea was an attempt between 1732 and 1736 to improve the shipping conditions and prevent the silting up of the port. Below the Grosvenor Bridge in Chester the only other river crossings were by ferry until the opening of the Hawarden railway bridge in 1889. The ferry at Queensferry was replaced by a bridge in 1897. But prior to the building of the A550 bridge across the Dee at Queensferry in the 1950's the three crossings beneath Chester's original Dee bridge were made to accommodate tall masted ships by being high or moveable.

The weir located just above the old Dee bridge is one of Chester's iconic landmarks. It features in innumerable pictures. Built in 1093 by Hugh d'Avranches, first Earl of Chester, to provide a head of water to power mills along the river bank. Over the centuries it has been used to power corn, fulling, needle, snuff and flint mills. Latterly, between 1913 and 1939 it provided a source of power for a hydroelectric power station who's building still stands on the other side of the bridge. The weir still provides a pool of water that is abstracted from the river as Chester's domestic water supply.

Along the northern, City, bank of the river is the “Groves”. A paved promenade complete with bandstand, cafés, restaurants and public houses. Here you can take to the water on one of the river cruises, or propel yourself in a motorboat, a rowing boat or a pedalo.

Across the Dee, in the city centre, there are three bridges. The oldest is the “Old Dee Bridge” built on the site of several earlier incarnations. This one was built during the reign of Edward 1st. The eastern side of the bridge has had it's parapet removed and replaced with railings in order to provide a walkway in 1826. Queens Park Suspension Bridge, a pedestrian bridge linking the city centre and the Groves with the Queens Park area on the southern bank was built in 1923 to replace an earlier construction. The Grosvenor bridge, opened in 1832, was the largest single span stone bridge in the world. Built on high pillars it was designed to allow tall masted sea going vessels passage beneath. Built to relieve congestion on the original bridge upstream and as an attempt to divert traffic that would otherwise have gone via Thomas Telford's new Shrewsbury to Holyhead toll road, now the A5.

The other crossing of the Dee in Chester is that of the North Wales Railway which crosses just west of the race course, crossing the valley of the Dee on a viaduct. The original bridge was built by Robert Stephenson, of cast iron, in 1846 and was the scene of one of Britain's earliest rail disasters in May 1847 when all but the engine and tender of a train travelling from Chester plummeted more than 40 feet to the river below, the bridge having collapsed, causing the death of 4 passengers and the stoker. After the accident there were several attempts to reinforce the cast iron bridge by Robert Stephenson until it was finally rebuilt in wrought iron.

The river is an important part of Chester life. There are walks across the water meadows at Earls Eye on the southern bank, and great walking along either bank of the river. In the Groves there are regular cruises up the river during the summer months and music is played from the bandstand. There is an annual raft race and the river bank is home to a number of rowing clubs.

More pictures of the Dee river as it flows through Chester can be found in the gallery pages.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chester: the Dark Ages

Where most cities in England have lost substantial parts, if not all of their city walls, Chester has managed to retain an almost complete circuit. The wall is an impressive construction and enables the walker to completely circumnavigate the city centre. But the wall we see today has been modified many times over the centuries and the modern wall walk was the work of the city corporation in the early 18th century in a bid to to create a promenade walk. Consequently all of the tower structures were cut through allowing the development of a wide and level pathway around the entire circuit. During the same period the Groves were enhanced as public walking space along the banks of the Dee beneath the walls. The “Recorder's Steps” being added in 1720 to link the two public spaces.

Chester has always been a frontier town and, until the 18th century, a port. In it's early history it stood at a point where three competing tribal areas met. In pre-roman times Chester was at the tip of the territory of the Cornovii with the Brigantes to the north-east and the Ordovices and Deceangli in Wales to the west. In the dark Ages it stood within of the kingdom of Mercia standing at the meeting points of the kingdoms of Northumberland to the north east and Powys and Gwynedd to the west. And again in the time of the Danelaw it stood at the apex of a triangle, within the Mercian earldom of England, The Viking Kingdom of Northumberland to the north-east and Gwynedd to the west.

The Roman walls surrounded the fort area on the sandstone rise overlooking the Dee. Built in the regulation Roman pattern with two main streets crossing, linking the four gates places midway along each wall, the Via Principalis and the Via Praetoria. Today the Via Principalis is followed by Eastgate and Watergate Streets. And the Via Praetoria, by Foregate and Upper Bridge Streets. The Roman wall occupied the north eastern two thirds of the present walled site. It's western side roughly following the route of St Martin's Way, which punctured the later walls in 1965, and it's southern border running along Pepper Street at the top of the steep incline that drops down towards the river. Sections of Roman Wall can be seen as the foundations of the later construction. A section can be seen in the length of wall that runs along the Kaleyard to the east of the Cathedral precinct.

The End of the Roman Empire

After what appears to have been unrest within Roman Britain, including mutinies by soldiers, in 367 attacks from opportunistic Picts, Hibernian Scotti (from Ireland) and Saxons grew in intensity, they managed to overrun much of the North with roving bands of raiders. Signs of fire have been found in Chester at around this time. It was over a year before order was restored and the invaders expelled. There followed a period of great prosperity in Roman Britain, but as the Roman era drew to a close Rome became reluctant to defend the outer reaches of it's empire, whilst beleaguered at home with internal and external strife and more attacks appeared from the Scots and Picts.

The Romano British, having enjoyed nearly 400 years of the Roman political and social structure, were left to defend themselves. The Roman way of life continued for a while but the old tribal make up of Britain resurfaced and the larger kingdoms that appeared under Anglo Saxon influence, like Mercia, Northumberland, East Anglia and Wessex were all conglomerations of smaller tribal factions, each with their own uneasy alliances and territorial jealousies. In some areas the increased insecurity led to a return to the old iron age hill forts. Many pre-Roman conquest fortifications were re-fortified.

These were times of great uncertainty, a time of changing loyalties, of former adversaries forming alliances against common threats, of power struggles and usurpations, of territorial expansion, of pillaging and slave taking. A time when weaknesses within borders led rapidly to attacks from outside. The Romano-British turned to mercenaries to help defend their land in internecine warfare left by the power vacuum. Under Vortigern they recruited Angles, Saxons and Jutes, willing migrants from the deprivation of their Germanic homeland in the lands between Denmark and Germany, under pressure from the Huns to their south. Lured by gifts of land in Kent and East Anglia. These Anglo-Saxons became established and sought territorial gains for themselves and over time the Angles formed the kingdoms of Mercia, East Anglia and Northumberland, the Jutes, Kent and the Saxons, Essex, Sussex, and Wessex. Each of the seven kingdoms vying for control of Southern Britain under the command of a bretwalda or over-king. A very unstable environment where small kingdoms, and clans within kingdoms fought with each other on a regular basis.

Little is known about Chester in this period. After the Roman departure the city may have been part of the kingdom of Powys. A battle between Powys and the armies of Aethelfrith of Northumbria took place near Chester in 616. Much of the eastern part of the kingdom of Powys was absorbed by Mercia in the 7th century. And the border possibly delineated by the Wat's Dyke that runs 40miles (64km) from the Severn in Shropshire to the Dee at Flint (The architect, date of construction and purpose of Wat's Dyke is hotly debated subject). A border that was to be pushed further west and further sealed by the building of a further dyke 180 miles (289km) long from The Severn Estuary to the Dee in 8th century by Offa, King of Mercia.

Aelthred, the Mercian King from 675-704, is said to have founded the church of St John outside the walls in the late 7th century. Which would suggest that the city was still of some importance. To the Mercian's it would have been their only western shored port and provided trading opportunities with Ireland and along the western coast of Britain.

Viking Raiders

Into this unstable melting pot, out of Scandinavia from the late 8th century onwards came increasing forays from Viking Raiders. These sometimes brutal ravagings of coastal and inland settlements were committed by disparate bands of opportunist adventurers from Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Initially hit and run raids in search of treasure and slaves, their visitations were often destructive and left swathes of people living in fear. Some would pay the raiders instead of being attacked, a form of extortion known later as Danegeld. Later raids became settlements and by the middle of the 9th century East Anglia and Northumbria had fallen to the new invading force. The weak ruling dynasties were removed and puppet regimes created in their place. At this time the remains and shrine of St Werburga, that had been in the church at Hanbury (Staffordshire), were moved to the church of St Peter and St Paul, within the protective walls of Chester. In 874 King Burgred of Mercia abdicated and was replaced by the Viking puppet Ceolwulf.

The West Saxons of Wessex having paid off the Norsemen enjoyed a brief respite until in 877 the Vikings returned. Wessex, ruled by Alfred the Great, had spent this time rallying it's forces and building defences. The Vikings were defeated and the ensuing peace was built upon the partition of England. The Vikings ruling the North and East Anglia under Danelaw and the West Saxons the western side of the line. Aethelred was given the title Earl of Mercia and to cement the ties, married to Alfred's sister Aethelfleda. All of what had been the eastern part of Mercia became part of the Danelaw.

Chester, now back in the Anglo Saxon world, within the the kingdom of Mercia, the border with the Danelaw meeting the Mersey at Runcorn some 25 miles to the east, was still the chief port of the west coast. It sat on a trade route between York and the Norse Viking port of Dublin on Ireland's east coast. Dublin had been a Norse city since 841 and had become the principal port of the Irish sea and one of the wealthiest of Viking towns. There had been considerable assimilation between the Viking invaders and the native Hibernians. Possibly in an attempt to secure this trade route the Vikings occupied Chester in 893. The Saxons under Alfred laid siege to the ensconced Vikings and laid waste to the land around the city walls. Two days later the besieged Vikings were starved out of their newly acquired port.

Viking Wirral

In 902 the Kings of Brena and Leinster, in Ireland, evicted the Norse Hibernians from their Dublin stronghold. They had never managed to conquer the island in the same way that the Danes had in Britain. These evicted Norse made their way across the Irish Sea. Whilst most settled along the Cumbrian coast others, with their King, Ingimund, after negotiation with the Mercians under Aetelfleda were allowed to settle on Wirral to the North West of Chester, then a land of wastes, on condition they did not attack Chester.

A few years later, however, the Norsemen had outgrown the confines of their settlement and were again raiding and seeking expansion. In 905 they unsuccessfully attacked and besieged Chester. Allegedly driven off when beehives were tipped on them from the city walls.

As a result in 907 a Saxon burh or fort was established, the Roman walls rebuilt and extended out towards the river to the south and to the west. Making the river the main defensive structure to the south and the west. The river at that time sweeping around the Roodee to flow northwards on a line to the east of it's current course (along the line of the current west wall. The Water Tower which stands at the end of a spur of wall from Bonewaldesthorne's Tower at this corner would have had it's feet in the river when it was built in the middle ages). There followed a period of building forts or burhs from North Wales to Manchester in defence of Chester. The iron age hill fort at Eddisbury, near Delamere was refortified.

The Anglo-Saxon system of government, built around the newly introduced burh's was designed around the needs of warfare. It raised funds for military action and raised soldiers for military service. It was the means by which huge punitive amounts could be raised to pay off the Vikings during the reign of Ethelread the Unready. Associated with the was the creation of local mints, creating coinage was a good way of controlling trade and raising funds. Chester's mint was particularly active until reforms took place in the reign of Edgar in 970.

There is evidence of Norse-Hibernian settlement within Chester itself. Until the building of the Grosvenor Bridge in 19th century there had been a church dedicated to St Bridget (an early 6th century Irish saint also associated with the Norse church at West Kirby, Wirral) where the new bridge approach road was built to the city centre. And today St Olave's church still stands in Lower Bridge Street although it dates from the middle of the 11th century founded shortly after the saints death in 1030. Both were founded by the Scandinavian community in Chester.

In 912 the Wirral Norse again attacked Chester but were repulsed and by 919 the Norsemen settled in Britain had again occupied Dublin and taken control of York, the main centre of the Danelaw. The Norse adventure in Ireland was not to come to an end until the Battle of Clontaff in 1014.

The rise of Saxon Wessex

Aethelfleda died in 918. “Lady of the Mercians”, she had ruled over Mercia after her husbands death at the Battle of Tettenhall against a Viking army from the north and a shipborne raid along the River Seven by Vikings from Brittany in 910. The crown of Mercia, intended for Aelwynn daughter of Aethefleda (Mercian tradition allowed the inheritance of the crown by the eldest daughter), was seized by King Edwin the Elder, son of Alfred, thereby bringing Mercia under Wessex's direct rule. By 920 after further raids and battle East Anglia, Essex, Northumbria and Strathclyde accepted Edwin as King.

The prospect of rule by Wessex was as abhorrent to the Mercians as the idea of rule by the Vikings. In 901 there had been an attempt at Mercian independence by Aethelred and Aethelfleda. After bringing eastern Mercia back under Anglo-Saxon control in 918 Edwin may have undertaken the reorganisation of western Mercia into shires. This was achieved without addressing the traditional tribal boundaries. Perhaps as a consequence of this in 924 men of Mercia and Chester, with Welsh support rebelled against their West Saxon ruler. Mercians and Welsh occupied Chester. Edward took and re-garrisoned the city before dying shortly afterwards in Farndon 8 miles/12km south of Chester.

About a year later Athelstan, the illegitimate but eldest son of Edward who had spent most of his life in the court of Aethelfleda in Mercia, was crowned King. He was not the designated heir to the thrown and the delay in his succession does suggest some disquiet on the part of the nobles and the church. Athelstan seized the opportunity offered by unrest in the Danelaw world to conquer most of Britain. Between 927 and 928 he managed to subdue the North and secured submission from all of the Kings, before defeating the Kings of Wales, and exacting a huge yearly tribute from them for his trouble.

But this was an uneasy piece built on conquest, submission and paid for by high taxation on the conquered Kingdoms. In 934 the King of the Scots, Constantine, failed to pay tribute and was soundly dealt with. In 937, however, Constantine arranged an alliance of the aggrieved Celtic and Norse Kingdoms to rid themselves of the Anglo Saxon burden for good.

We will pay them back for the 404 years

News of this must have reached Athelstan through Chester from the Welsh centres of Gwynedd and Powys. The forces came together in Northumberland and ravaged the land south of the Humber.

Towards the end of the year a decisive battle saw the defeat of Olaf III, Viking King of Dublin, with Constantine, King of Scotland, and Owain King of Strathclyde. At a place known as Brunanburh which some historians identify as Bromborough on the Wirral 7 miles/11km north-west of Chester. Athelstan was declared bretwalda by his former adversaries and claimed the title of “King of Britain”. The victory at Brunanburh was celebrated as a national triumph.

However these victories brought stability for a short time. Athelstan's death in 939 and the succession of his brother Edmund led to renewed unrest and instability. Northumberland squeezed between the Anglo-Saxon might to the south and the Scots to the North. Harried by raids by brigands from Scotland and Ireland. Northumberland again struck out and there was renewed fighting between the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse of Northumberland. This entire period is one of internal and external threat for the Northumbrian kingdom put down with increasing violence and destruction by the English. Eadred, who succeeded his brother Edmund after he was murdered by a previously exiled thief in 946, burned down towns and destroyed the minster at Ripon as a terror campaign designed to stop the Norse of York adopting Eric, son of Harald (Eric the Red) as their King. Eventually the pressure succeeded and Eric, betrayed by former allies was killed at Stainmore. The end of Northumbrian ambition.

The continued importance of Chester is demonstrated by the fact that in 973 Edgar nephew of Athelstan summoned eight of his sub kings to Chester, following his coronation in Bath, to swear fielty to the new bretwalda. It is said that they rowed him in a boat along the Dee from his palace to St John's church.

Edgar had succeeded his brother Eadwig, youngest son of Edmund I, in 959 and this “coronation” marked a celebration of his reign. In it he was anointed head of the “Anglo Saxon Empire”.

Ethelred the Unready

In 975 Edgar died leaving his succession in a confused state. Having married more than once there were now two rival claims to the thrown. Factions fought over the succession and the control opf the country. In this same period crops failed and people starved. The eldest son Edward chosen as King in 976 was murdered in 978 by supporters of Ethelred his half brother. Ethelred was made king at the age of ten. Into the confusion of a state run by a faction of nobles and church men sailed another wave of Vikings bent on plundering the wealth of Britain. Chester was sacked in 980 by Danish raiders. Three Anglo-Saxon coin hoards found in Chester date from this period. Over the next twenty years increasingly ruthless attacks were made, designed to reek terror and extort increasing amounts of Danegeld.

There was general panic amongst the English, troops deserted, nobles who opposed Ethelred were killed and in 1007 Ethelred ordered the massacre of all Danes living in England. More defensive burhs were built and again old iron age hill forts refortified. By now the amounts of Danegeld paid to relieve the land of attacks was becoming a burden on the church and the nobles. Women and the poor were being sold to the Vikings, there was a general fear of the breakdown of the social fabric of the country. By 1010 the Danish hoards had overrun much of south-east England and East Anglia. Ethelred's health was failing and by 1015 many of his nobles had thrown in their lot with the Danish invaders including Eadric Streona, Ealdorman of Mercia, who held Chester as his centre of power. He was Ethelred's leading adviser and had advocated paying Danegeld rather than opposing the attacks with force and who had arranged the removal of Ethelred's opponents.

With Ethelred's death in 1016 the council in London promoted Edmund his son as King. The bishops and nobles of Wessex elected the Norse leader Canute, King. Chester, having refused to raise an army to fight against the Danes was sacked by an army led by Edmund and Uhtred of Bamburgh, ealdorman of Northumberland.

Canute

There followed a series of battles between the English under Edmund and the Danish army of Canute. Seeing Edmund gain the upper hand and Canute turn to pillaging Mercia for supplies to sustain his army, Eadric Streona again swapped allegiance and added his Mercian army to that of Edmund. At the height of the final battle at Ashingdon north of Southend Eadric again desserted the English ranks. The result was the destruction of Edmund's army and Canute agreed to the partition of Britain in the same mold as before. But Edmund was to be dead within a month and Canute was made King of England in 1018. As recompense the now vanquished England had to pay the largest installment of Danegeld and in 1017 Eadric Streona was killed at Canutes orders.

To seal his reign Canute married Ethelred's widow in 1017, In 1018 at the death of his brother Harald, Canute succeeded to the Danish throne, so combining the thrones of Denmark and England, later to add the thrown of Norway to the list. In recognition of his contribution to Canutes success against a Danish rebellion he gave the Earldom of Wessex to Godwin who's son was later to become King Harold. The earldom of Mercia, after Eadric Streona's assasination was given to Leofric. These two earldoms being the two most powerful lordships of the land. It was Leofric who repaired and extended St John's church in Chester to make it the Minster of West Mercia. Canute was to restore all of the churches that had been desecrated in the Viking wars.

The end of Norse rule and the coming of the Normans

The crown returned to the Saxon descendants of Alfred the Great on the death of Harthacnut. Canutes legitimate son who had died childless in 1042, having succeeded the usurper, Harold Harefoot, his illegitimate brother, to the thrown in 1018. In 1041 the nobles and the church had invited Harthacanut's half brother, Edward, the son of his mother's previous marriage to Ethelred the Unready, back from exile in Normandy. He was subsequently crowned King Edward (the Confessor).

The relationship between Edward and his most powerful earl's was not an easy one. Godwin and his sons were exiled in 1051 to return with armed force and internal support. And a similar event took place with Aelfgar Earl of Mercia in 1055. There was continuing disquiet at the growth of Norman influence within the court and both the Earls of Wessex and Mercia extended their powerbases.

Edwards experiences in Normandy and the rise of Godwin's son Harold Godwinson, to greater influence in the land was ultimately to lead to the Norman invasion.

 

 

 

Chester Rows

 

Access

The upper gallery of the rows is accessed from steps that can be found at intervals along the street. Some of these are quite steep. Level access can be gained to all Row galleries mostly from the higher ground to the rear. Bridge Street Eastern and Eastgate Street southern rows can be accessed from the Grosvenor shopping centre. Eastgate Streets northern rows via Godstall Lane; a pedestrian passageway with shops and cafés running from St Werburgh's Street opposite the Cathedral. Bridge Streets western rows and Watergate Street south rows can be reached from a ramp running along Pierpoint Lane which can be found near the end of the pedestrianised area of the City centre. The Dewa Roman experience can also be found along this lane.. Watergate Street's northern rows can be reached from Crook Street.

Introduction

Rows are shop units with living accommodation above, usually gathered together in association with like tradesmen or trade guild members, and although other cities in England have rows none have the charm and fascination of those in Chester. Built along the four main city centre thoroughfares that follow the pattern of the original Roman forts street layout. Little is known of the origin of Chester's Rows but their peculiarity is that the living accommodation starts on the second floor with two levels of shops beneath with a public walkway on the first floor level.

The ground floor shops are accessed from street level, but running across the top of these street level shops is a walk way and set back from the street frontage are a second set of shop windows. Today some of the establishments maintain both upper and lower shop units, but on most sections of the rows different merchants can be found on lower and upper floors. Steps lead from street to first floor at regular intervals and the living accommodation above is supported by columns every 15 feet (4 metres) or so.

The upper premises on the rows to be found on Eastgate Street are so set back that in places some shops have large display units between the shop front and the street frontage. This is particularly evident on the rows on the northern side of the street where additional shops and cafés occupy the space between walkway and street frontage. This row has sometimes been called “Dark Row” and this section of Row is poorly served by natural light although the cafés on this level are open to the street.

Origins

The land behind Row buildings is at first floor level. It has been suggested that this is because the debris from demolished buildings from previous city centre occupation was more thoroughly cleared along the main streets. Here was the most valuable commercial real-estate in post Conquest Chester. Since much of the land within the walls at this time was in the hands of religious foundations and land for commercial development was as a consequence at a premium. The space to accommodate the burgeoning city economy was severely restricted and the Chester Rows were to be the solution.

One view is that buildings erected after the Roman occupation were wooden structures with posts dug into the Roman debris. These would have featured a shop with a hall behind and a courtyard to the rear. Consequently these buildings sitting on land higher than street level would have required a pathway to run along in front of them. This is explanation resolves the question of how this intriguing feature of Chester came about without a general town development plan. It would allow for the evolution of a system without disruption to everyday life.

They may have developed under the guidance of merchant guilds since most of the rows are often associated with singular trades. For a long period the Rows walkways were regarded as part of the private property through which they passed. There is no legal document indicating that the rows were regarded as a public right of way until the 17th century. In the 16th and 17th centuries the Rows, nominally under the control of the city corporation, were still the property of the individual merchants. These merchants who were responsible for the upkeep of the right of way, the railings and the steps.

Middle Ages

Edward 1st endeavour to subjugate the Northern Welsh had brought great wealth into the city. Chester was the hub from which materials, armament, soldiers, administrators and craftsmen were distributed amongst the growing castle building projects. The largest castle building enterprise in British history. During this prosperous period the Rows emerged gradually. The need for further space led to the excavation of the undercrofts in the rubble beneath the buildings with support for the pathway and building above and the addition living accommodation above the original structure. On the first floor was a shop fronting with the walkway that crossing the top of the undercroft with accommodation rising above it. Initially these undercrofts may not all have opened onto the street but as commerce grew along the street level most would have developed in this way. There is an example of this open row level gangway on the western side of Lower Bridge Street where the upper floors were never expanded over.

These under-crofts carried stallboards, sloping canopies under which merchants could set up stalls to sell their wears outside there under-croft storage on the street side. These stallboards were the beginning of encroachment onto the public highway. Over time they expanded their living accommodation over the galleries running along the roofs of the undercrofts and the stallboards, supporting them on columns that went down to the street. Encouraged by the city corporation who could raise rents on the land that such developments occupied. Eventually the stall areas became enclosed as shops. These stall boards can be seen today between the gallery rows and the street frontage. There was an increasing trend to build shops on top of the stallboards themselves so that the rows became increasingly dark and uninviting places to be. The rows are considered to have reached their fullest development in the middle of the 14th century.

 

Civil War

With the plague years of the middle ages the cities prosperity declined and the, until now evolving nature of the rows stopped. It wasn't until after the Civil War in the late 16^th century that further development took place. Some buildings were altered and some demolished and rebuilt by their wealthy owners. In some places larger buildings were built and in some places the rows became blocked in by their owners because they wished for greater privacy. This is particularly evident in Lower Bridge Street where small sections of row survive running between sections that have either been in filled or the original building replaced without conforming to the row principle.

The enclosure or the rows in lower bridge street was inspired by the actions of Sir Richard Grosvenor during the siege of Chester, in the Civil War. He petitioned to enclose the section of row running past his town house where he had moved his family in order to protect them within the city walls. As a leading Royalist his petition was granted. The house can be found at the top of Lower Bridge Street on the western side. Now the Falcon public house, evidence of what was once the row and the columns that supported the upstairs can be seen in the front. Once a break had been made others argued that the row level was useless as a public right of way.

The Georgians

During the Siege of Chester in 1645 a lot of the rows in Watergate Street and Eastgate Street were destroyed by bombardment. After the restoration in the 1660's Chester became a magnet for the wealthy and in the Georgian period Chester became a fashionable location to live and for social entertainment. At the same time as The Groves and The Walls were being developed as promenades many wealthy families built or remodelled town houses in the City Centre, often replacing or combining multiple buildings into one residence. In Lower Bridge Street, Bridge House and Park House replaced Medieval Rows buildings and nearer the cross Rows buildings were combined and re-fronted in brick, maintaining the Rows but in a new Classical style.

 

Booth's Mansion Watergate Street

In Booths mansion on Watergate Street two Medieval row buildings became one large town residence for George Booth of Dunham Massey, later 2nd Earl of Warrington. (George Booth was fined for encroaching upon the street having built this house façade angled to look slightly south east so that it could be more readily seen from The Cross)

 

The Victorians

In 19th century the adoption of the Gothic style in fashionable architecture and with it in Chester in particular the revival of half timbered building meant that much of the centre we see today is Victorian rather than Medieval. Most of this Victorian rebuilding respected the row concept, now seen as a desirable relic from a more romantic age. The exception being in Northgate Street where Shoemakers row was replaced by a street level row in 1909 designed by the architect John Douglas, who also designed the lodges in Grosvenor park, most of the estate buildings on the Grosvenor estate and the Eastgate Clock as well as many other buildings within Chester and beyond. Many of these Victorian additions carry interesting detail. Some have coats of arms and carved quotations whilst others carry wooden sculptures. Shoemakers row carries a lot of very fine detail and a number of sculptures, as does the row of revival buildings along the eastern side of St Werburgh's Street, also designed by John Douglas.

In the 1820's Browns Department store was built in Greek Revival style on the southern side of Eastgate Street. 1n the 1850's the store expanded. The architect Thomas M Penson, a leading advocate of the half timbered revival, adopted a Gothic styled sandstone façade for the new building. Reflecting the stonework of the Medieval under-croft over which it was built. The under-croft now forms part of The Crypt café beneath the shop. At the same he opened up the old row into a more light and airy first floor promenade with display units between the row and the street. Penson also designed the Grosvenor Hotel and other revival style buildings in Eastgate Street.

In 1859 a controversial Neo-Classical building by George Williams was built to house the headquarters of then Dixon and Wardell's Chester Bank. This building, opposite the Brown's development blocked off the northern Eastgate Row. The Row alteration being paid for by the gift of a strip of land for the widening of St Werburgh's Street.

Development in the lower part of Watergate Street led to the loss of parts of the rows on the northern side of the street but modern development on the southern side has respected the Row.

Today

The Rows in Chester today are a delightful place to eat, drink and shop. Within the square of Rows buildings fronted by Eastgate Street and Bridge Street and with Pepper Street to the south is The Mall or Grosvenor Shopping centre which as ad Edwardian Arcade at the Bridge Street end and more modern extension to the other two streets.

The main streets are pedestrianised Eastgate Street and Northgate Street all of the day, except for people needing access to city centre hotels and delivery vehicles. Bridge Street and Watergate Streets are closed to traffic from 8 am until 6pm.

They are home to a variety of eateries. Along Watergate Street at both street and row level there are number of bars, restaurants and cafés. The streets through the main part of the city centre are devoted to pedestrians and many of the cafés offer al fresco eating facilities. On the northern side of Eastgate Street you can sit on the row itself and watch passers by from the Rows Café.

 

For more pictures of Chester's rows go to the Chester Rows photograph gallery

Chester Cathedral

Nestled into the streets of Chester city centre. The cathedral occupies a site in the north eastern corner of the city wall. Hemmed in by the wall itself and the principal Roman thoroughfare, the Via Principalis, running north south through the old Roman fort. It does not have the grandeur of other cathedrals like Lincoln or York, nor the majesty of Wells but hidden along it's southern walls are a myriad of stone carvings, gargoyles, people and animals, dating from the 19th century refurbishment and improvement of the Cathedral fabric. Internally west of the screen in the nave is the Chester imp, and the 13th century misericords canopies and benches of the choir are elaborately carved with biblical scenes and animals, said to be amongst the finest in the country. In the refectory, now open as a public eating place, the Creation Window, by Rosalind Grimshaw, is a fine example of modern stained glass, installed in 2001. Indeed internally the cathedral contains some of the finest surviving ecclesiastical architecture in the country.

Click on any photograph to see a slide show in a larger size

The Cathedral seen from Abbey Green on the north eastern side of the building

Like many English churches of early Christian origin the cathedral in Chester was established on ground with previous religious significance. It is thought that a Druidic temple stood somewhere on the site and was replaced by a temple dedicated to the Roman god Apollo. When Roman Britain converted to the Christian faith in the 4th century the basilica is said to have became dedicated to St Peter and St Paul and during Saxon times there was a chapel dedicated to St Peter on the site. The size of the cathedral buildings that now cover the area make it impossible to establish through archaeological evidence what stood here prior to the creation of the monastery and it's abbey.

Benedictine Monastery

In the early 10th century a church dedicated to St Werburgh and St Oswald was built on the site by Aethelfleda to house the saints remains. Aethelred, Earl of Mercia, husband to Aethefleda was a follower of the cult of St Oswald. St Oswald's being the parish church ministering to the city and housed within the south transept of the abbey building. The dedication to St Peter and St Paul was transferred to a new church, now St Peter's, standing at the cross in the city centre.

St Werburgh's church was later to become a church of secular canons (essentially similar to a cathedral but without a bishop or diocesan responsibilities) and was demolished in 1093 to be replaced by a Benedictine monastery established by Hugh Lupus, first Earl of Chester. Hugh Lupus himself was to become a monk in his final years and was buried within the grounds of the monastery.

Some of the oldest parts of the modern day cathedral date from this period. Built in the Romanesque style with rounded arches the final building to be constructed was the Chapter House in 1250. At this time a modernisation, in the contemporary Gothic style, began. Starting with the Lady Chapel at the east end of the church. This work continued at periods throughout the next 300 years and was not complete at the dissolution in 1538. Notably the western tower was never completed.

St Oswald's Parish Church

Apart from a brief excursion to the guild chapel of St Nicholas which stands opposite the cathedral (now occupied by a chemist's shop) on St Werburgh Street the parish church of St Oswald continued to occupy the south transept until 1881 when the new church of St Thomas in Parkgate Street became the new parish church. In the later years the church was actually walled off from the rest of the cathedral.

St John the Baptist's Church

Briefly Chester's cathedral was the Church of St John the Baptist, still extant, but in greatly reduced form, near the amphitheatre. Built at a time when the church was split between the Celtic and Roman churches the building of St John's outside of the city walls is testament to the separation of the two factions.

The church is said to have been established in 689 by Aethelred King of Mercia (not the same as the later Earl) after he had had a dream in which God instructed him to build a church in a place where he saw a white hind. It may be built upon the site of an earlier Roman Christian shrine.

In 1075 Peter, Bishop of Lichfield moved his see here after it was decreed that all bishoprics should be associated with major cities. The diocese of Lichfield covered a vast area from the Trent to the Solway Firth. Peter died in 1082 and the succeeding Bishop, Robert of Limesey, moved the see to a wealthy moneastery in Coventry making the see considerably wealthier. St John's became a co-cathedral with Coventry until the 13th century and retained a dean and secular canons and functioned as a collegiate church until the Reformation.

It is to St John's church that King Edgar was rowed by regional kings for consecration after his crowning in Bath. At the dissolution parts of St John's church were demolished. Abbots from St Werburgh's Abbey would receive benediction at St John's upon taking office and at the dissolution it was in St John's that Thomas Clark set up his see before transferring it to the new cathedral.

St John's today is a curious mix. Nestled amongst the ruins of it's former glory. The largely victorian exterior of the surviving part contains some of the countries finest Norman church architecture.

The Dissolution and the Cathedral foundation

At the dissolution in 1538 the St Werburgh's abbey was surrendered to the crown and St Werburgh's shrine destroyed. In 1541 the abbey became the Church of England cathedral of the newly formed Chester diocese. The second monastic abbey of six to be reopened. Newly rededicated to Christ and the Blessed Virgin, and endowed with 9 manors and most of the other Cheshire property of the former St Werburgh's abbey. The last abbot of the abbey, Thomas Clarke became the dean of the newly formed cathedral and 4 monks became prebendaries (canon) of the new church. The diocese covered Cheshire, Lancashire and the Richmond archdeaconry, previously of York that occupied an area from Richmond to northern Lancashire and southern Cumbria.

For the first 300 years of it's existence the church suffered from a lack of funds. Frequently repairs were undertaken when they became essential. At the dissolution the abbey's annual income had been assessed at £1,003 5s 11d. In 1551 church plate and bells had to be sold to pay for repairs to the fabric. In 1553 the dean and two prebendaries were committed to the Fleet prison, London, for allegedly removing iron and lead from the cathedral roof. Most of the cathedral's income being spent on the salaries of servants and taxes to the crown (First fruits and tenths: Originally paid to Rome it was a levy on clergy by which they had to pay a portion of their first years salary and subsequently a tenth annually to the crown.). In 1578 it is alleged that the dean and chapter demolished some buildings and that lead, glass and slate were missing. There was also tension between the cathedral and the Chester corporation. The church holding large amounts of land within the city walls. In the 1570's the dean successfully opposed the building of a corn market near the Bishop's residence.

At the fall of Chester in the civil war the cathedral's possessions were seized and the cathedral abolished until the Reformation. Much of the medieval stained glass and a lot of the furnishings including the choir screen were destroyed by puritan troops.

The church is built like many buildings in Cheshire of red sandstone a rock easily carved but liable to weathering. The type of sandstone used by the monks was particularly prone and unlike the harder wearing rock employed by the Romans in the building of the wall the material used in the fabric of the cathedral meant that continual maintenance was required. Outcrops of this rock can be found throughout Chester, Cheshire and the Wirral. A particularly fine example can be found at Thor's Rock near Heswall and on the southern bank of the Dee in Edgar's Field, Chester. Where are the remains of Roman stone quarrying and the Minerva shrine.

By the 19th century the cathedral fabric was in need of extensive restoration. Thomas Harrison, architect of the Grosvenor bridge and the range of buildings along St Werbugh's Street restored the south transept in 1818-1820. But the most substantial work was undertaken under the guidance of George Gilbert Scott in 1868-1876. At a cost of £90,000 the turrets, crenellations, gargoyles and flying buttresses are a result of George Gilbert Scott's Gothic revivalist view of the medieval church. His proposal to build a spire on top of the central tower was rejected and at the time their was disquiet over what appeared to be a reinterpretation of the church structure rather than a restoration of the existing fabric. Scott's work included esternal and internal work. Including the creation of a new choir screen replacing the one that had been destroyed during the civil war. George Gilbert Scott is probably best known as the designer of the Midland Grand Hotel at St Pancras Station, London, now restored, and the Albert Memorial in Hyde Park.

In 1882 further work was completed by Sir Arthur Blomfield including the reconstruction of St Werburgh's shrine in the Lady Chapel where it can still be seen. The cloisters were restored and the east window in the refectory and the rood screen designed by Giles Gilbert Scott (grandson of George), architect of Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral and the creator of the traditional British red telephone box, between 1911 and 1913. And in 1939 F. H. Crossley rebuilt the refectory roof.

In 1973-1975 a separate bell tower designed, by George Pace, was constructed after it was found to be too expensive and difficult to replace the dilapidated bell mechanism and bells that had lived in the central tower. Ten of the bells from the cathedral were recast as ring of twelve bells and first rung in 1975. Greatly influenced by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Pace had a passion for combining modern with the conservative in his work whiich is ably demonstrated in this building. A very modern construction with hints of the medieval.

St. Werburgh

Daughter of King Wulfhere of Mercia and St Ermenilda, born in Stone, Staffordshire. Descended from a maternal line of canonised nobility. At a time when local Bishops could canonise people, dead or alive. And who frequently used this power as part of the relationship between nobility and church. She spent much of her life as a nun and was the fourth and last Abbess of the convent at Ely, Cambridgeshire, succeeding her mother in the role. The fourth Abbess to be canonised. The convent at Ely, founded by her great aunt St Etheldra in 673, was destroyed by Danish Vikings in 870 . St Werburgh was commissioned by her uncle King Aethelred, who succeeded her father to the the throne in 675, to reform the Mercian monasteries and to found new ones under his patronage. She is said to have founded the convents of Trentham and Hanbury in Staffordshire, and Weedon in Northamptonshire.

In order to deflect conflict among those who venerated her she was determined to be buried at Hanbury upon her death. But it was in Trentham that she died in 699. After some altercation the body was eventually interred in Hanbury where a number of "miraculous" cures were associated with the saints tomb. After 9 years the remains were moved to a more conspicuous location in the church. The body was found to be remarkably preserved. A sign deemed so divine that it is said to have influenced Werburgh's brother Coenred, who had succeeded Aethelred to the throne of Mercia in 704, to abandon his secular life for religious orders. Here the tomb remained for 160 years, a place of pilgrimage and veneration. But with the threat from Viking raiders in the 9th century. The saints shrine was relocated to the protection of the church of St Peter and St Paul within the city walls of Chester in 875. And in 975 this church was rededicated to St Werburgh and St Oswald.

The presence of St Werburgh's remains in the city became associated with many fortunate events. The saint became to be seen as the protector and patron saint of the city and the cult of St Werburgh became lucrative for the monks. A number of fires destroyed parts of the city within the walls but the church remained unscathed and the saints presence is associated with the unsuccessful attempt by the Welsh under Gruffydd ap Llywelyn to besiege the city in the 11th century.

In 1340 the saints remains were housed within an ornate shrine which at the time of the dissolution was savagely destroyed, the stone works and remains scattered. Today the shrine has been reassembled from those parts that could be retrieved. Although the saints bones have never been recovered.

St Werburgh is often portrayed with a goose a representation derived from a story of an event that is said to have taken place at the convent at Weedon. There are several versions of this story but all of them include the resurrection of a goose.

A flock of geese that had been decimating the crops of the convent was bidden by the steward, on the abbesses instruction, to enter a house, where they were locked up for the night in punishment. This order they dutifully obeyed, heads hung low. But the steward took one of their number to eat. In the morning the saint admonished the geese for their destruction of the crops and released them. But they were not happy and the saint divined that one of their number was missing. She summoned the steward and resurrected the cooked goose. The flock bowed to the lady and flew away. And it is said that geese have never subsequently been seen in Weedon.

St Oswald

A Northumbrian king Oswald had fought against the Mercians under Penda (Aethelred's father), and had been killed by them at the Battle of Maserfield in 641 or 642, now identified with Oswestry (Oswald's Tree), Shropshire.

The veneration of St Oswald is reliant heavily on the manner of his death. Although he is perceived as a very religious man. Having promoted the adoption of the Christian faith within his kingdom. A tree is said to have grown and spring erupted from the ground where an arm of the dismembered body was dropped by a crow as it fled the battle field. At this spot many miracles are said to have taken place. The cult of St Oswald grew with support from the influential Hexham monastery in Northumberland and spread throughout Europe. Killed in battle fighting the pagan Penda of Mercia. The Christian Oswald, King of Northumberland is seen through the centuries as a royal martyr. A king who did much to Christianise Northumberland.

The Consistory Court

This is a curious survival of an ecclesiastical court. The furniture dates from the 16th century and was originally located in the Lady Chapel. It was positioned beneath the south west tower in 1636. A unique example of church influence. The court was used for cases of libel, slander and the proving of wills as well church discipline. Jurisdiction over wills was held by the church from the establishment of the cathedral until 1858. When the Court of Probate Act transferred responsibility to the civil Court of Probate

In the Medieval period the ecclesiastical courts had powers equal to that of the crown. Including that of capital punishment. It was in the Lady Chapel that George Marsh from Bolton was condemned to death by the then Bishop George Coats for preaching the doctrine of Martin Luther and the protestant faith. Refusing to recant his beliefs he was burned at the stake at Chester's place of execution in Boughton in 1555. His ashes subsequently buried by his followers in St Giles Graveyard, Boughton. A memorial now stands by the A51 in Boughton.

Abbey Square

Lying on the northern side of the cathedral is a tranquil secluded square of Georgian brick built houses. Now largely occupied by businesses. These buildings were erected in the mid 18th century for the Dean and Chapter of the cathedral on an area that had been occupied by the kitchen's, bakehouse and brewery of the old abbey. Prior to the Georgian restyling the area behind the Abbey Gateway had enjoyed a measure of independence of city regulation and all manner of business was transacted here.

The Bishop's Palace originally occupied an area now occupied by Barclay's Bank in the south west corner. The Bishop's house is now behind high walls on the north eastern side of the square.

Kaleyard Gate

At the eastern end of Abbey Street that runs eastward from the square to the city wall is the Kaleyard Gate. This breach in the city wall was opened up to allow passage of monks from the abbey to their gardens beyond the eat wall. Permission was given on condition that the gate be closed and secured at curfew every evening and in times of danger and that it would not allow the passage of a man on horse back. Until recently the cathedral authorities have followed the tradition of locking the gate at night and the cathedral still rings the curfew bell, still housed in the central tower at 8.45 every evening.

Links

• Chester Cathedral
• St John the Baptist Church

Chester Photographs

The photographs of Chester found on this web site are a collection of images taken throughout the year. It is a gradually evolving collection that is intended to be a representation of the city, it's buildings, it's visitors and inhabitants. A glimpse of the city as seen through the lens of my camera.

The Content

The photos are categorised by area of interest. At present these category's are “The Walls”, “The Rows”, “The Water”(about the river and the canal), “The Zoo”, as well as an additional gallery, "The City", that is a broader look at the city. There will be additional galleries displaying pictures of landmarks and attractions beyond this definition, like the race course, the HQ building, the railway station and the suburbs.

At the moment images of these are accommodated in the information entries found in the “Chester” pages where there are articles about the history of Chester and specific areas of interest, and the “Journal” pages where entries are briefer and are largely built around photographs of events, locations or curiosities caught by the camera. They may be recent events or collections of images recently assembled. I've attempted to put in as much cross referencing and categorisation as possible so that things can be found fairly easily.

Gallery Navigation

You can dive into the pictures from the thumbnail menu on the right of screen. This is a selection of thumbnail links that are randomly generated from all of the galleries on the site. Each time you visit a picture displayed on the left of screen. This selection changes. It is quite a useful feature for casually dipping in and out of the pictures.

The Galleries can be accesses by the top navigation bar, or individual galleries accessed from the front page, from the middle side bar, gallery navigation block or from the top navigation bar drop down menu.

When a gallery or it's content is open a gallery navigation block opens in the middle side bar. This again gives access to the different galleries but also allows you to see the currently open gallery in a full screen slide show and to send a picture to a friend as an e-card.

Once you are in the gallery section. You can browse through thumbnail pages and click to see a larger image. Once the larger image is open you can progress through the pictures by clicking on the left or right half of each picture for the next and previous images, or use the navigation below the image. By clicking on the “View Larger Image” text you can see a bigger picture in a separate pop up window. You can also use the small thumbnails below the image to navigate up and down the gallery

The Pictures

It has always been the intention to make the image, either in the form of the photograph or the video the core of the content. Following the adage that “A picture paints a thousand words”. But it has always been difficult to decide whether it was to be an artistic or an information driven publication. Because of this you will find that the pictures in the galleries are a combination of pictures that are straight photographs of Chester. As documents of interesting aspects of the city fabric. And other photos that are more of a framed glimpse of aspects of the city, or framed views of aspects of the city that perhaps normally don't get acknowledged or take on a different meaning or intensity when viewed in isolation or from a different perspective.

It's possible to perceive themes developing as you browse through the collection. There are many pictures of park benches and seats, of steps, of doorways, of reflections and shadows, and close up studies of boats. Recently I have been interested in street performers and there are a growing number of photographs of buskers and other artists in and around the city centre. Boats are a particular passion and if you take a look at the ls-eyeworks.com site you will find a lot more studies of boats and the sea.

Part of the purpose is to build a web site that presents the interested visitor with a comprehensive view of the city, places of interest, things to watch out for on a visit. The other intent was to create a web site that perhaps opened up the seasoned visitor, or inhabitant's eyes to a view of things that they have possibly overlooked or have become so familiar with that they no longer seem remarkable or interesting. I hope that you will spend some time browsing trough the content of these pages. More will be added over time and comments are always welcome about the site as well as the pictures.

Print and Photograph sales

Visit the Photo Store page where photographs from this site and other images are available as prints, photo books and other gifts. .

Digital files are also available for print and web applications please use the contact form accessed from the navigation block at top of the middle side bar to send me your request. All original photographs are from 10 megapixel cameras available in Raw or other formats on request.

Chester: a video portrait

Chester gallery image presentation

This video of Chester is a sequence of photographs of the city put to music. It is best viewed with sound.

Primark comes to Chester

A collection of pictures taken within an hour on Eastgate Street, Chester. Two days after the new Primark, discount clothing store opened it's doors for the first time. The streets around the city centre are awash with people carrying Primark carrier bags.

Chester World Town Crier Tournament

Video taken during the second day of this four day event held between 15th and 19th of June. Bringing a warmth and a splash of colour to a sunny Town Hall Square.

Pictures of this event can be found on the Journal Pages:

• Chester World Town Crier Tournament

Midsummer Watch and Giants Parade

Held every year during the closest weekend to the summer solstice. The Midsummer watch parade is a traditional display of English eccentricity. With dragons, St George, a pirate ship, an elephant and castle, sea creatures, ravens, St Werburgh and, most famously, the giants.

Pictures of this event and more information can be found on the Journal Pages:

• Chester Midsummer Watch and Giants Parade

Big Sing, Chester 2010

Choirs from across England's the northwest gathered in Chester to sing at a number of locations throughout the city centre.

• Big Sing Chester 2010