Chester – A Perfectly Planned Roman Castrum
The sleepy city of Chester is not on the typical foreigners list when they arrive in England, an unfortunate oversight as the sheer wealth of timber framed buildings and red sandstone Victorian architecture make it a quintessential English place.
Table of Contents
Geography
Chester is located in North-West England, not far east of the Welsh border. It is part of the county of Cheshire, south of Manchester and built on the river Dee.
History
Antiquity
Chester was founded as Deva Victrix, a roman Castrum (Fort) in 79 A.D. on Celtic land. The name Deva likely from the name of the Celtic goddess of the River Dee. The fort was rectangular is shape and had roads coming in from all four cardinal directions, north, south, east and west. The amphitheater sat outside of town along with a large civilian settlement. This ancient shape is reflected in today’s road and fortification layout. It is speculated that due to the oversized nature of the fort, that Chester may have been a a candidate for the capital city of Roman Britain. Today a visit to the Cheshire countryside will reveal the roman quarries used to construct the settlement.
The settlement was abandoned by the imperial roman legions by 410 A.D. as they retreated from Britain. It is speculated that a mixed Romano-British population consisting of military veterans and civilians survived in the area by taking shelter in the fortress walls.
Medieval Era
With roman power having completely collapsed, there was nobody to protect the inhabitants from sea raids. Chester may be inland but raiders from the Irish coast would frequently come inland to pilfer. The sturdy fortress walls protected the people and eventually, like many Romano-Britons they reorganized into petty kingdoms, Chester becoming part of welsh Powys.
In 616, Æthelfrith of Northumbria, an Anglo-Saxon warlord captured Chester from the Welsh Britons at the Battle of Chester. The name of the city in Old English was Legacæstir, eventually shortened to Chester. Saxon rule saw the establishment of strengthened defenses, after the kingdom was pressed by the Danes who were raiding along the English coastline. Despite their effort the city was occupied by Danes for a short period. In 973 King Edgar of England was coronated in Bath, after witch he held a council in Chester, rowing up the river Dee. In Chester many kings of England and Scotland would pledge their allegiance to him strengthening the young kingdom.
In 1071 the city was take by William the Conqueror. As part of his plan to pacify the nation he installed Hugh d’Avranches, an important Norman noble , as Earl of Chester and tasked him with building the central keep, or castle of the city. The earldom was a very important position in medieval England and the position was often the subject of intrigue.
Around the 14th century the Dee River began to silt up and the city lost much of its importance as a trading port. It would not recover until the industrial revolution would bring about some technological advances to remedy the situation.
English Civil War
During the English Civil War (1642-1651), Chester was at the forefront of Royalist and Parliamentarian clashes. As a result the town was heavily damaged and the cathedral vandalized. At the start of the war, the town was held by royalist forces loyal to Charles I, but by 1644 the town was in a difficult position. After long siege and the defeat of Charles himself (coming to relieve the castle) at Battle of Rowton Heath, the exhausted defenders surrendered.
Victorian Era and the Industrial Revolution
In later years, Chester was the subject of intense industrial activity and it may be hard to image so today, but was also once again an important port. Since roman times the River Dee provided access to the Atlantic but with the completion Shropshire Union Canal and the Canalization of the Dee river the waterfront was once again at the heart of the towns commercial activity. Chester became an important railway hub, with two stations. Furthermore the city was renowned for its large cattle market.
The wealth derived from trading activities is reflected in the beautiful white and black timber framed buildings constructed in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Modern Era
The center continued to develop much like other UK cities in the aftermath of WW2 with the construction of new bypasses and suburbinization altering the tranquil countryside feel of the city. This transformation led to a heritage preservationist movement to protect the pristine town center from development.
Town Layout
Chester is fairly easy to navigate. To the east of the city you have the passenger train station. Sitting sandwiched between the Dee river and the Canal you will find the old town and its famous wall. The old city is surrounded by waterways, with the Dee river bending around the south end of the city and at the north end you have the Chester Canal connecting to the Dee river, hugging the city wall.
Things to do in Chester
Chester is known largely from two things, its roman ruins, largely on the outside of the city walls and its well preserved city center. As such it is only fair that we start with the exterior of the town.
Arrival at the Train Station
As my train pulled into Chester I was greeted by the Italianate masonry train station. Built in Staffordshire blue brick in 1848, it has begun to show its age, yet remains beautiful. In the immediate area around the station you can find many fast food options , hotels and a tour bus.
The Old Town
Crossing over from the Chester Canal towards foregate street, I could see the silhouette of the cathedral tower rising above the city.
Eastgate, the Cross and the Black-and-Whites
When you make it to Foregate street, and eventually Eastgate street you will be confronted with the quintessential Black-and-White revival architecture so essential to Chester’s character. A Cheshire specialty of the 19th century, these timber framed beauties line the main shopping streets and were meant to look medieval. Thus the buildings are part of the Tudor revival style. As the name would suggest the timber frames are black and the space between them white. Many of the buildings are accessed on an elevated porch called Chester Rows. From these you can find two levels of shops, one on the porch level and the other stairs down to an undercroft.
Eastgate as the name would suggest is a gate that is part of the city wall network. On top stands a 1897 landmark clock, you can get a great view of the old town from this vantage point but this will be revisited in the city wall subsection. When you get past the Eastgate you will be on Eastgate street the main road in Chester
If you follow the street you will eventually come across the Chester Cross the most important junction point in the city. At this junction you will find a medieval stone cross where the town crier would have been stationed. From here you can acess Watergate Street, Eastgate Street, Bridge Street and Northgate Street, along their old roman axis. This spot was the focal point of roman life but nothing remains of that era.
At the junction, in front of the cross, you will find a magnificent building at 1 Bridge Street. It is constructed in black-and-white revival and is sports a great example of Chester rows. This is the best example of such architecture in the city. Like many of the buildings in Chester, it was designed by Thomas Lockwood, a prominent Architect who helped popularize the style. You can find his grave at the St John the Baptist’s Church, the first cathedral of Chester, located near the Dee river.
The Cathedral
North of Chester cross, up Northgate street, you will find Chester Cathedral. This red sandstone behemoth stretches out in every directions, its tentacles engulfing many city blocks and its large rectangular tower dominating the city.
From the exterior, one can see that the cathedral has undergone many changes throughout is long history. The cathedral in fact a hybrid, with a central section built in the shape of a cross and a courtyard at the north end. Inside the cathedral you will find confounding architectural elements, some of the building is in fact Gothic and other parts in Norman style. For those of you unfamiliar with the Norman style it is in fact similar to Romanesque. This is can be explained by the fact that building was originally constructed in 1092, shortly after the Norman invasion, as a benedictine abbey on top of the remains of a roman basilica. It was expanded in 1250 and rededicated as a Gothic cathedral. Subsequent construction took 275 years, the building becoming larger and larger. Once inside you will be able to grasp the full scale of the building. It should take you at an hour to make it though.
Inside the courtyard you will find a garden with vaulted passageways and a fountain with a pretty mermaid statue at its center. This is a great place to relax.
The church sports a cool Lego recreation of itself as well as detailed ornamental wood carvings in the choir and throughout the church. The staff is friendly and the cathedral actually quite a hip place for such an old institution, hosting many events. Outside you can find a men’s morris, a medieval game.
Grosvener Museum and Other Attractions
In the old town you can find several other attractions. This includes Grosvner museum, the Town Hall, the Grosvner shopping center and the Grosvner Hotel.
The Museum, along with many other things in town, is named after the Dukes of Westminster, a title held by the Grosvener family. An important landowner located at Eaton house in Cheshire, the family is known to have commissioned the construction of many buildings in Chester. The full title of the museum is The Grosvenor Museum of Natural History and Archaeology, with Schools of Science and Art, for Chester, Cheshire and North Wales and a significant donation for its construction came from the Duke himself. This is another Lockwood designed building! The Town Hall is a beautiful Victorian sandstone building worth seeing in its own right.
The City Walls, Castle and Canals
When you have the chance make sure to walk along the canal front to see the remains of old warehouses. Many have been turned into hotels and loft and a lively patio scene can be found here. Riverboats often go up and down the canals adding to a sense of liveliness.
The city walls can be accessed from many points and offer great view of Chester’s attractions such as the cathedral, main streets and the roman ruins. It is walkable along its entire length and its most impressive gate is the massive Newgate, overlooking the roman amphitheater. You will find several other gate, notably at Bridge, Eastgate, Northgate and Watergate street but none are as impressive as this one.
The rectangular walls were created by the Romans, and at first consisted of a wooden palisade and an earthen mound. Later the walls were built out of red sandstone. After the Norman conquest the walls were extended south and east towards the Dee River to incorporate the rest of the medieval city center. In the east you will find a large mound with a sandstone tower, a castle built by William the Conqueror, built as part of the city defence system. Not much remains of Chester castle but the diminutive central keep, it was built in 1070 by Hugh Avalanche and expanded in the 13th century under the reign of English King Henry III. The castle is now surrounded by a complex of neoclassical building constructed in the 18th century. Prominent prisoners held at the castle include Richard the II and Scottish hero Andrew de Moray. The walls were expanded and reinforced during the English civil war and they saw heavy combat action during this time. If you look closely you can find many musket shot marks in the sandstone. You will find many towers along the wall including that of the Phoenix tower where Charles watched the defeat of his army. The parliamentarian breached the walls in two sports but could not take the city by force.
After the civil wall, the city did something unique and renovated the walls for recreational use. You can walk along its whole perimeter and when you arrive at Eastgate, you will be greeted by a memorizing display of the city’s busy main street from above!
Roman Chester
Two significant areas outside of the city walls hold the remains of Roman Chester. Both are located near the Newgate. The first is the Roman Amphitheater, built in the first century A.D. It was used primarily for military training and cockfighting.
Just south of the Amphitheatre you can find the Roman Garden , a garden near the city wall incorporating elements of Roman Deva including many columns. You can find the shrine to Minerva on the other side of the Dee river.
The Dee Waterfront
In the south end of the city, the walls extend to the Dee river. Here you will find the St John the Baptist’s Church, the first cathedral of Chester, heavily damaged during the Civil War. The waterfront is mostly parkland and the walk along the walls here is quite pleasant. There are two principle bridges crossing the river, the modern pedestrian only Queens Park Bridge and the red sandstone Old Dee Bridge. It is though that king Edgar’s boat taken for his council landed somewhere near the John the Baptist cathedral.
The Old Dee bridge was originally built by the Romans into the muddy banks of the Dee. The medieval arched construction dates from when Edward, the Black Prince, son of Edward III ordered its construction in 1357 A.D. If you walk across the bridge you can find Minerva’s shrine on the east side. Carved into a rock quarry face, it dates from the 2nd century A.D. and is dedicated to the Roman goddess of war.
Conclusion
Although Chester may appear to be a small city, you can easily spend a full day or two visiting all the sights, its diminutive size is deceiving. From Chester you can easily explore Liverpool or Manchester or take a train to Whales making it a great hub for regional travel. Come visit Chester, you wont regret it!
