Vacation in Chester
Introduction
Chester is the county town of Cheshire in North West England.
It is situated on the River Dee close to the border with Wales,
and is one of the best-preserved walled cities in the country.
It is the main settlement in the City of Chester local
government district.
History
Chester is an old city dating back approximately 2000 years to
Roman times (when parts of the City wall date from) when it was
known as Deva. They built it as a fortress for Legio XX Valeria
Victrix, the 20th Legion, safe in the loop of the River Dee and
used it as a port and defence from the Welsh Celts. It was then
the principal town of England, with many relics remaining today,
including the weir on the river to keep water levels high and
stop ships going too far, the 'cross', where the four main
streets intersect, as well as remains of a strong room and
hypocaust system underneath shops and, controversially, half of
its original amphitheatre, with the other half built over. The
Roman Empire fell three hundred years later. In AD 605 or AD 606
king of Northumbria defeated a big Celtic army at Chester and
established the Anglo-Saxon position in the area. The Saxons
extended and strengthened the walls of Chester to protect the
city against the Danes. After the 1066 Norman Conquest, Chester
Castle was built as another defense from the Celts. Along with
this, the Normans built what is now Chester Cathedral. In the
Georgian era, the city became again a centre of affluence, a
town with elegant terraces where the landed aristocracy lived.
This trend continued into the Industrial Revolution, when the
city was populated with the upper classes in amongst the
industrial sprawls of Manchester and Liverpool. The Duke of
Westminster who owns an estate at Eaton near the village of
Eccleston owns a considerable amount of land in Chester.
Grosvenor is the Duke's family name. In 1969 the City
Conservation Area was designated. Over the next 20 years the
emphasis was placed on saving historic buildings, such as The
Falcon Inn, Dutch Houses and Kings Buildings. On January 13,
2002, Chester was granted Fairtrade City status.
Place of interest
In a big Victorian building opposite the Roman amphitheatre, is
the largest uncovered amphitheatre in Britain. The center has a
gift shop and a licensed restaurant serving meals and snacks.
Admission is free.
In the center of town much-photographed Eastgate clock is
situated. Another interesting activity is to climb the nearby
stairs and walk along the top of the city wall for a view down
on Chester - Passing through centuries of English history, the
River Dee, formerly a major trade artery, and many 18th-century
buildings. The wall also goes past some Roman ruins, and it's
possible to leave the walkway to explore them. The walk is
charming and free.
Eastgate Street is now a pedestrian way and musicians often
perform for pleasure beside St. Peter's Church and the Town
Cross.
The Rows are double-decker layers of shops, one tier on the
street level, the others stacked on top and connected by a
footway. The upper tier is like a continuous galleried balcony.
Museums & Art Galleries
Grosvenor Museum, Cheshire Military Museum, Ellesmere Port Boat
Museum Hack Green (Secret) Nuclear Bunker, Mouldsworth Motor
Museum are the main museums to visit in Chester. The city has
two cinemas and a theatre, the Gateway Theatre, and in the
summer the city hosts the annual Chester Music Festival, the
Chester Midsummer Watch Parade and the Chester Mystery Plays,
the latter of which dates from medieval times.
Shopping
The city Chester is a popular shopping centre, with its unique
'Rows' or galleries (basically two levels of shops) which date
from medieval times. The city is heavily populated by chain
stores both in the centre and on retail parks to the west, and
also features two indoor shopping centres, an indoor market and
a department store, Browns of Chester, once known as 'the
Harrods of the North', now absorbed by the Debenhams chain.
There are two main indoor shopping centres, The Grosvenor Mall
and the Forum. The latter refers to the city's Roman past, and
is to be demolished in the Northgate Development to make way for
new shopping streets, a new indoor market, a new library and a
performing arts centre.
Food & Drink
Chester has wide variety of eating establishments, covering a
whole range of culinary areas. There are many national
restaurant chains and a wealth of high quality local
restaurants. The Bell Pepper, Fat Cat Caf