Let's Have A Day Out - To Chester

Much of the architecture of central Chester looks medieval and some of it is, but by far the greater part of it, including most of the black-and-white buildings, is Victorian, a result of what Peysner termed 'the black-and-white revival. The surviving Roman grid pattern of streets is so compact that you can get around all the city's landmarks easily on foot seeing the half-timbered buildings, where you can visit the 700 year old 'Chester Rows' in the City Centre, where shopping is a double delight with the 2-tiered galleries of packed with shops, cafes and restaurants. The shops or dwellings on the ground floor are often lower than the street and are entered by steps, which sometimes lead to a crypt-like vault. Dating from the medieval era, the Rows may have been built on top of rubble remaining from the ruins of Roman buildings, but their origin is still subject to speculation. Chester was originally settled by the Romans in the first century AD and called Fortress Diva, after the River Dee upon which it stands. They were built in the four main streets leading out from Chester Cross which are Watergate Street, Northgate Street, Eastgate Street and Bridge Street. It is encircled by a 2-mile ring of complete Roman and medieval Walls, which can be reached by taking the steps up onto them and then walk where the Roman Legionaires marched to war, Viking raiders wreaked havoc and Norman invaders conquered Anglo Saxons. Here you will pass a series of structures, such as Phoenix Tower, or King's Charles' Tower and the Eastgate Clock on Eastgate, said to be the most photographed clock face in England after those that share the tower with London's Big Ben and erected in honour of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.

Situated to the south of the city runs the River Dee, with its 11th-century weir. The river is crossed by the Old Dee Bridge dating from the 13th century, the Grosvenor Bridge of 1832, and the Queen's Park pedestrian suspension bridge. There are many ways to enjoy the river here with rowing boats and motor boats for hire or you can relax and take one of the many variety of cruises on offer. Alternatively you can sit and 'people watch' on the river bank seating enjoying an ice cream, etc from the nearby kiosks or perhaps take a leisurely stroll along the water's edge. To the south-west of the city, the River Dee curves towards the north.and Grosvenor Park, one of the finest examples of Victorian parks in the UK, is easily accessed from here near the bridge, a Grade II registered, green flag award winning park dating back to 1867 and covering 20 acres. Formal avenues lined with trees, statues, large sweeping lawns surrounded with ornamental shrub beds and display bedding provide a spectacular and colourful display. It is a great place to visit with the kids as it is home to the popular miniature railway and a great play area.

By the Middle Ages, Chester had become a wealthy trading port and for hundreds of years before the prominence of Liverpool, it was the primary port on the north-west coast of England and it was at this time that the Rows were built. However disaster befell the city during the English Civil War as Chester was besieged for two years before starvation forced its people to surrender. As the centuries passed, the harbour gradually silted up and by Georgian times the port was virtually gone. The area between the river and the city walls here is known as the Roodee, which gives its name to the racecourse, and today some of the original quay can still be seen near the racecourse.  The Roodee is the oldest racecourse in the country dating back to 1539 and holds a series of horse races and other events during the year. The first recorded race at Roodee Fields was held on the 9th of February, 1539 – during the reign of Henry VIII – with the consent of the Mayor of Chester, Henry Gee. His name led to the term gee-gees, which is still in use to this day.

The 1000 year old Cathedral, with Europe's finest example of medieval carvings, was formerly the church of St.Werburg's Abbey and the shrine of St. Werburgh is sited in the cathedral. Its architecture dates back to the Norman era with additions made most centuries since. In 1092 Hugh d'Avranches, the Earl of Chester, had the original church rebuilt and beginning in 1250 yet a third church was begun, this time in Norman Gothic style. The monks of Chester built the new church over the top of the old church, which they dismantled from the inside. The monastery was suppressed by Henry VIII in 1540 with the king handing the monastic buildings back to the city to serve as the cathedral church of the new diocese of Chester. A series of major restorations took place in the 19th century and in 1975 a separate bell tower was opened. The elaborately carved canopies of the choir stalls are considered to be among the finest in the country.

Also in the city centre is the largest Roman Amphitheatre in Britain which was built in the late first century AD. Roman remains can still be found in the city, particularly in the basements of some of the buildings and in the lower parts of the northern section of the city walls. A prime example was the 'Spud-U-Like' building on Bridge Street, sadly now closed, interesting because in the basement is an in situ 1,800-year-old Roman hypocaust – from the Greek word meaning 'fire beneath' – which was a common form of central heating used by Romans.