Chester

Chester is one of the historic cities of the UK that attracts a lot of tourists. For me it is usually either a convenient destination on a scenic North East Railtours day trip or as in this particular case, a handy car / lunch break (3 hours from home) as I travel onwards to another location.

A quiet monday afternoon on Bridge street

Chester's history can be traced back to Roman times when four main roads (Northgate, Eastgate, Watergate and Bridge ) all met in the centre of "Deva". Chester was the name chosen by the Saxons who were responsible for further protection of the inhabitants and as a result was one of the last places to fall to the Normans.

Chester Cathedral demonstrates a variety of architectural designs as the building was modified through the ages since it's 11th century construction with major restoration work being undertaken during 19th century.

Cathedral crypt

Mission control !

"Water of Life" by Stephen Broadbent

In the centre of the cloisters is a sculpture that depicts Jesus giving "the woman at the well" water that would never make her thirst again. It was ironic at this point in the day that not only did the sculpture and the surrounding pond contain large amounts of water but so did the skies above me and I had to dash back under cover quickly !

Chester Cross or ... Fridge magnet scene !!

One of the most unique things about Chester and the main reason why people visit here is the "Chester Rows".

These are a series of medieval buildings in the city centre that can be traced back to the late 13th century although many houses in these sections were rebuilt a few centuries later.

After ascending the steps and turning right in one of the previous images, this is the best preserved example of an upper Row containing shops.

Half way down this row, St Michaels Arcade was built in a neo  - classical style which forms part of the Grosvenor shopping centre (no doubt named after sir Richard Grosvenor who tried to enclose sections of the Rows)

The view from the left hand side of the stairs looking across to the end of Northgate.

and as if theres isn't enough black & white !!

On the other side of Bridge street at Chester cross, the steps are a little more modern in places !!

... with the buildings here seeming to be a bit more of a residential nature.

Chester Town hall was built in 1869 following a fire that destroyed the previous building that stood for 200 years. About 30 years later another fire destroyed the second floor but was restored quickly within a year.

It may come as a surprise to know that the clock faces on the tower were added as late as 1979.

Monochrome Town Hall steps ... Grim history / grim day !!

Chester clock is arguably the second most photographed clock after Big Ben in London. It was built on the site that marked the entrance to the Roman settlement of Deva and stands on a stone footbridge walkway that forms part of Chester's city wall. (see title image). The clock commemorated the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.

curving King street

The Blue bell is Chester's oldest surviving house dating from as early as 1250. It's early use was as accommodation for pilgrims visiting the shrine of St Werburgh on the site of what is now Chester Cathedral. Later the building became an Ale house, a grain store, a private house and then by the turn of the 19th century, a public house once again. During the 20th century, it was twice threatened with demolition due to road expansion plans and later became a clothes shop followed by a restaurant.

Lastly, Chester is famous for it's Zoo which opened in 1931 and currently lies outside the city centre to the north. A bronze sculpture was donated by Chester Zoo in  2010 and stands opposite the Town Hall in Northgate street & is no doubt to remind visitors about Chester's distant attraction or ... to tame the mood of those who disagree with the use of Zoos !! .........

Woah, Janya has escaped, careful now when you cross the road !