Chester tour: attractions, sightseeing and day trip tourist information

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< Up	Travel / Tours / England / Chester
Visit Chester (in Cheshire, England)


Sections:	Introduction
	Eastgate Street
	Watergate Street
	Bridge Street
	Northgate Street
	Chester Cathedral
	Roman Chester
	Chester Castle
	Chester Racecourse
	River Dee
	Other attractions
	Further information
	Links

INTRODUCTION

Chester (population: 120,000) is a city in the English county of Cheshire, near the border with North Wales. Established in Roman times, it used to have a port and in medieval times it was a wealthy trading centre.

It is a popular place for shopping, especially in the part known as The Rows. This is a series of medieval covered walkways with shops on two levels. The Rows are in the centre of the old town, around four roads: Eastgate Street, Watergate Street, Bridge Street and Northgate Street.

Pedestrianised shopping streets

Buskers often perform in the town centre

	Chester (city guide) Author: Maggie O'Hanlon Publisher: Pitkin Guides Date: April 2000		A portrait of Chester (photo book) Author: Rob Meighen Publisher: Halsgrove Date: March 2006
	Chester: More Than a Guide (city guide) Author: John McIlwain Publisher: Jarrold Publishing Date: January 2004

EASTGATE STREET

One of Chester's best-known landmarks is the Eastgate Clock. This was put up to celebrate Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee in 1897 (60 years after she became queen in 1837).

The Cross stands in the city centre, near the junction of Eastgate Street and Bridge Street. This is the place where the Town Crier made announcements, a tradition which is still being followed today.

Eastgate Clock

The junction of Eastgate Street and Bridge Street

The Cross

WATERGATE STREET

Bishop Lloyd's House used to be the home of the Bishop of Chester in the early 17th century. On the front of the building there are detailed carvings showing scenes from the Bible, coats of arms and animals.

Bishop Lloyd's House

Carvings on the front of the house

In 1647 plague struck Chester. Many died, but the people in one house in Watergate Street were not affected by the disease. For this reason it is known as God's Providence House.

God's Providence House

BRIDGE STREET

Bridge Street is the road leading to the Old Dee Bridge, which used to be the main route from here to Wales. The shops of The Rows continue on both sides of the street.

Grosvenor Shopping Centre

NORTHGATE STREET

The town hall (opened in 1869) is located in Northgate Street. This is the location of the Tourist Information Centre, the starting point for most of the walking tours. There is a market in the Forum Shopping Centre. One of the products which can be bought here is Cheshire cheese. The Cheshire region includes a lot of agricultural land.

Town hall

Crest

Tourist information centre

Cheshire cheese

CHESTER CATHEDRAL

Chester Cathedral was a medieval abbey church before becoming a cathedral in 1541. It was restored in the middle of the 19th century. There is an entrance charge for visitors (except those who are attending a service).

There are attractive views of the cathedral from the walls which surround the city centre.

Chester Cathedral

Part of the city wall near the cathedral

ROMAN CHESTER

In Roman times Chester was known as Castra Deva (prounced Dewa), meaning "the military camp on the River Dee" (places in England whose names contain the letters "chester", or which end in -cester or -caster, were locations for Roman military camps). The 20th legion (about 5,000 soldiers) was based here for about 200 years. There were three permanent legionary bases in Britain: at Chester, Caerleon (in South Wales) and York.

The remains of a Roman amphitheatre were excavated in the 1960s and can be seen opposite the Chester Visitor Centre (on Vicar's Lane). This was built in about AD 100. Up to 7,000 people could gather here to watch performances in the circular arena.

Chester in Roman times

The amphitheatre was one of the largest in Britain

The Grosvenor Museum (on Grosvenor Street, free entry) introduces Chester's past, including its Roman history. Dewa Roman Experience (in Pierpoint Lane, off Bridge Street) is a museum about life in Chester's Roman fortress.

The Grosvenor Museum

Roman soldier

CHESTER CASTLE

The Normans built a castle at Chester soon after William the Conqueror took control of England. It was later used as a base from which to attack the Welsh. The current Chester Castle was rebuilt about 200 years ago, to be used as an administrative centre rather than for defence. In one of its wings is the Cheshire Military Museum, which presents the history of Cheshire's soldiers. Only a few parts of the original stone castle remain.

The present castle (rebuilt in 1788-1822)
The military museum is on the left

Castle walls (view from Castle Drive)

CHESTER RACECOURSE

Chester racecourse (also known as the Roodee: "the island of the cross") is one of the oldest in Britain. It is located to the south-west of the town centre, in the area that used to be the harbour. It is used for flat racing during the summer (from May until September).

Aerial view of the racecourse

Racecourse's crest

County Stand (next to the finishing post)

Race day

RIVER DEE

There are pleasant walks along the banks of the River Dee. During the summer months there are regular half-hour boat trips (starting from near the end of Souter's Lane, near the amphitheatre).

The Chelsea Regatta is an annual boat racing event on the river - this first took place in 1733.

The Old Dee Bridge

Boat trips along the river

OTHER ATTRACTIONS

Chester Zoo is one of Britain's largest zoos, located north of the city. It has over 500 species and 7,000 animals.

There are a number of impressive country houses and gardens in Cheshire. These include:
- Arley Hall and Gardens
- Lyme Park (a National Trust property)
- Tatton Park (Knutsford)

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FURTHER INFORMATION

* Visitor information

Tours
- International Friends 2-day tours to Chester and North Wales (from London or Cambridge): Wales Coast and Mountains
- Anderson Tours 2-day tour to Liverpool, including a stop in Chester (from London): Liverpool Overnight
- Walking tours of Chester: contact the Tourist Information Centre or the Chester Visitor Centre for details.
- Heritage bus tours of Chester: http://www.chesterheritagetours.co.uk
- City Sightseeing open-topped bus tours: http://www.city-sightseeing.com
- Chester Boat cruises: http://www.chesterboat.co.uk
- Tours starting from Chester: http://www.busybus.co.uk

Chester Visitor Centre (Vicar's Lane)

Heritage bus sightseeing tours

City Sightseeing bus

Organisations
Visit Chester: http://www.visitchester.com
Visit Cheshire: http://www.visitcheshire.com

Attractions
Chester Cathedral: http://www.chestercathedral.com
Grosvenor Museum: http://www.grosvenormuseum.co.uk
Chester Military Museum: http://www.chester.ac.uk/militarymuseum
Dewa Roman Experience: http://www.dewaromanexperience.co.uk
Chester Racecourse: http://www.chester-races.co.uk
Chester Zoo: http://www.chesterzoo.org
Arley Hall and Gardens: http://www.arleyhallandgardens.com
Lyme Park: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-lymepark
Tatton Park: http://www.tattonpark.org.uk

* Transportation
- By train it takes between 2 and 3 hours to travel to Chester from London's Euston station (it may be necessary to change at Crewe). For train timetables and to buy a ticket online, see: Shop/Company/TheTrainline.
- Coach services usually take about 6 hours to Chester from London's Victoria Coach Station. For timetables and to buy a ticket online, see: Shop/Company/NationalExpress.

* Weather forecast
BBC weather forecast for Chester: http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/4270

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LINKS

Places close to Chester:
North Wales: Travel/Tours/Wales/North
Liverpool: Travel/Tours/England/Liverpool
Manchester: Travel/Tours/England/Manchester

Other Roman towns:
Bath (site of the Roman Baths): Travel/Tours/England/Bath
Carlisle (near Hadrian's Wall): Travel/Tours/England/Liverpool
Exeter: Travel/Tours/England/Exeter

Home page: Home

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