Chester Guide History Maps Hotels

Chester Guide

Chester is the county town of the old county of Cheshire located 40 miles south west of Manchester across the Cheshire Plain on the banks of the River Dee, close to the border with Wales.

Chester has a population of around 330,000 people and is a popular spot with day-trippers from all over the North West of England and beyond.

Chester is known for its Roman heritage and numerous Tudor and Victorian buildings which dot the compact city centre, which is still surrounded in large parts by its original city walls.

Chester guide, UK. — Bridge over the River Dee, Chester, UK

Chester Cathedral, Chester, UK. — Chester Cathedral, Chester, UK

Chester History

Chester as a city dates back to Roman times when it was known as Deva and was a large base for the Roman legions for an invasion of Ireland - an event that never occurred.

Chester's four main roads, Eastgate, Northgate, Watergate and Bridge Street follow routes laid down in Roman times.

The remains of Chester Castle date from Norman times and the site was extended by Thomas Harrison in the neoclassical style and now house the Crown Courts and a military museum.

By the medieval and Tudor period Chester had become an important market town and port. Some of the black and white wooden buildings in the city date from Tudor times, the others are more than likely later Victorian replicas.

Chester Racecourse, known as the Roodee, dates from the 16th century and is the oldest and smallest in England.

Chester port had declined, superseded by Liverpool, by the time of the Industrial Revolution as the River Dee silted up, but the Chester Canal, now part of the Shropshire Union Canal, was built during this period but the canal failed to bring significant industry to the city, thus happily preserving Chester's historic heritage.

The Victorian Period was one of prosperity for Chester and saw the building of the Gothic Chester Town Hall in 1869. Eastgate Clock, supposedly the second-most photographed clock in Britain after Big Ben in London, is also Victorian and celebrates the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria of 1897.

The River Dee, Chester, UK. — The River Dee, Chester

Chester Attractions

Many of Chester's main attractions focus on its Roman and Tudor heritage. The Roman Gardens are a collection of Roman period remains collected and assembled here from around the city. Chester's City Wall runs down one side of the gardens and altogether provide a 2 mile walk around the town. King Charles Tower, where Charles I watched his army defeated at Rowton Moor during the English Civil War and the Water Tower are of particular historic interest.

The Roman Amphitheatre in Chester is the largest remaining in Britain and was used for both civilian entertainment and training for the 20th legion that was based in Deva.

Roman Amphitheatre, Chester, UK. — Roman Amphitheatre, Chester

The Dewa Roman Experience on Pierpoint Lane has exhibits of a Roman galley and walk through reconstructed streets of Roman Chester taking in a Roman barracks, a bath-house, granary, jail, taverna and market stalls.

Chester Cathedral has a long history with the possibility that a Roman temple once stood on the site. A Christian church has indeed stood here since the 7th century and the present church dates from the Norman period when a great monastery was built in new red sandstone, becoming a cathedral after Henry VIII's dissolution of England's monasteries and the seizing of their lands and wealth. Chester Cathedral is known for its fantastic stained glass windows, historic woodwork in the quire dating from 1380 and the only remaining ecclesiastical court in Britain.

The red sandstone St. John The Baptist's Church is a Grade I listed building on the north bank of the River Dee adjacent to the Roman Amphitheatre and Grosvenor Park. St John's supposedly dates back originally to the 7th century and has been rebuilt on a number of occasions due to the frequent collapse of its structures in 1468 and 1572 and again in 1881 when the imposing Gothic tower fell in. Much of the church's interior remains Norman while the stained glass windows are from the mid-19th century.

The Cross marks the location of the ancient Roman Principia, the military HQ of the Roman forces in Deva. The Cross or High Cross dates originally from the 14th century but the vicissitudes of history have meant that the present red sandstone, crown-topped cross was built in 1949.

Roman Gardens, Chester, UK. — Roman Gardens, Chester

Chester Shopping, Pubs & Entertainment

The highlight of Chester's shopping experience must be The Rows, a unique feature of Chester's historical civic architecture and one of the town's main tourist attractions.

Originally medieval in origin, The Rows are galleried, timber walkways above a lower level of shops at ground level. The Rows lead to the entrances of shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs and run along Chester's four main shopping streets: Bridge Street, Watergate Street, Northgate Street and Eastgate Street, intersecting at The Cross.

Chester Zoo

Chester Zoo is one of the UK's most popular zoos with over 12,000 animals from 400 different species on the 111 acre garden site. Highlights of Chester Zoo include the Tropical Realm, Britain's largest tropical house, the Realm of the Red Ape, and dedicated to the endangered orangutan and Butterfly Journey, an intriguing look at the life-cycles of various butterflies from around the world. Get around the zoo on its impressive monorail.

Tudor architecture, Chester, UK. — Tudor style architecture, Chester

Many of Chester's pubs are housed in historic Tudor or Victorian buildings. Ye Olde King's Head is housed in a building dating from 1622, The Victoria at The Cross is built on a site that has housed an inn since 1269, with the cellar located above the crypt of St. Peter's Church. The Boathouse is located on the River Dee and has a pleasant outdoor space to enjoy the river.

Other recommended pubs to enjoy a pint include the Victorian Albion Inn, the Mill Hotel on Milton Street and the Old Harkers Arms, housed in an old warehouse on Russell Street.

If you fancy some traditional English fish and chips in Chester head to Blackstock's on Northgate Street.

Summer is the time to enjoy messing about on boats on the River Dee. ChesterBoat offer a variety of cruises including a 30-minute River Dee cruise past the Suspension Bridge and The Meadows, a longer two hour cruise and a joint bus and boat tour of Chester. Saturday nights feature a themed cruise with disco and BBQ supper. All cruises sail from the boating station on The Groves. Peddle and row boats are also available for hire on the river front.

St. John The Baptist's Church, Chester, UK. — St. John The Baptist's Church, Chester

Chester Hotels

Chester's hotels include both upmarket and budget options. For a slice of history try The Chester Grosvenor, a luxury 5-star hotel in a renovated Victorian building on Eastgate or the Chester Townhouse B&B located in a 17th century townhouse on King Street. Other good quality and affordable accommodation in Chester includes the Holiday Inn Chester South, the Crowne Plaza Chester and the Coach House Inn.

Chester Access - Getting To Chester

Chester Station in the north east of town is presently served by Arriva, Virgin, Merseyrail and Northern Rail connections.

Arriva has trains to Llandudno, Holyhead (via Bangor), Wrexham General, Shrewsbury (and on to Cardiff), Birmingham, Manchester Piccadilly and Crewe.

There are Intercity trains to London Euston via Crewe and Milton Keynes Central plus more infrequent connections to Holyhead, Bangor and Wrexham General.

Merseyrail has trains to Liverpool and Birkenhead.

Northern Rail has trains to Manchester Piccadilly and Stockport Station via Northwich.

Manchester Airport is the closest major airport to Chester.

By car coming from the north take the M56 and M53 North Wales Expressway. Coming from the Midlands and south take the M6 as far as Junction 18 then west on the A54.

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