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, Praslin, Chez Jules and Bella Pasta are some famous restaurants providing foods from different cuisine. Numerous pubs populate the city, some of which are medieval, as do wine bars at night, and Chester also has five night-clubs. Education Like any major town and city Chester has a wide range of educational facilities for every age group. University College Chester and West Cheshire College are the place for higher education. The Hammond School of Dance and Education is the institution that combines dance and drama tuition with normal educational studies. Sports The city has a football team, Chester City F.C., who play in the Deva Stadium and a national basketball team, the Chester Jets, who play in the city's Northgate Arena leisure centre. Hotels & Accommodation Being a city that attracts thousands of tourists and business people every month, there has to be a large number of hotels in Chester. Chester Grosvenor, De Veer Carden Park, Grosvenor Pulford Hotel, Mill Hotel, The Queen Hotel these are some prime hotels with star rating in Chester. Beside all these hotels Chester hosts a number of lodges, youth hostels and budget hotels. Among them Alton Lodge Hotel, Dene Hotel, Green Bough Hotel, Ba Ba Guesthouse, Bowman Lodge, Chester Youth Hostel are some to mention about. Comfort Inn Chester, Holiday Inn Chester South, Holiday Inn Ellesmere Port, Moat House Chester are some of the famous hotel chains in Chester. Tours and Sightseeing Chester has a few organized tour operator and car rental agencies. Organised tours include all the main tourist attractions. Different group or individual tour are arranged by different tour operators - some tours consist of Guided Walking Tours. Specialised tours are conducted by the government tourist authority in the following languages: French, Italian, Spanish, German, Japanese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Shanghai, Romanian, Russian, and Dutch. Transport Chester Airport known as Hawarden Airport is the only way to reach Chester by air. Its well connected with all the cities in UK and Europe. Chester has a railway station to the North East of the city centre, designed by Francis Thompson with an impressive Italianate frontage dating from 1848. Trains go from here along the North Wales Coast Line, as well as to London Euston, Liverpool, Crewe, Manchester, Wrexham and Shrewsbury. Bus transport in the city is provided by the council owned and operated Chester Bus. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Chester had an extensive tram network from Saltney in the west at the Welsh border to Chester General staion in the North West. |
