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Chester Websites
Chester began as a Roman fort named
Deva Victrix, in AD79. The Romans left
the area around 410.
The area continued to prosper after
the Romans left, then expanded more
during Saxon rule from the 600s.
William the Conqueror, from Normandy
in France, took control of England and
Chester from 1066, leading to modern
Britain.
William the Conqueror had a Castle
built at Chester to protect the area
and secure the Welsh border.
The old Roman walls were rebuilt and
extended from this time, being
completed in the 1100s.
These walls run round the oldest
part of Chester, at about 2 miles
around, now a top visitor
attraction.
The earlist parts of Chester
Cathedral are from 1093, with much
of what can be seen today from the
1200s and 1300s.
Many of the Timber Framed buildings
around Chester centre, such as in the
image top, were built from the 1400s to
1800s. View a
list of old buildings to view.
The Eastgate
Clock is on the East Gate in
Chester centre, where the entrance to
the Roman Fort was situated. This is
claimed to be the second most
photoghraphed clock in England, after
Big Ben in London.
The present Eastgate was built in
1768, with the clock being added in
1899 to celebrate the diamond jubilee
of Queen Victoria.
Chester
Town Hall was completed in 1869 in
gothic revival style. The Town Hall is
now mainly used for functions and
weddings.
The Roman
Amphitheatre in Chester centre was
discovered in 1929 during gardening
work at Dee House. This Amphitheatre is
the largest found in Britain so far,
dated to around 1AD.
The Newgate
Arch Bridge on Pepper Street was
built in 1938 to allow more traffic in
and out of Chester. The old City wall
path runs over the arch.
The River Dee runs through the
centre of Chester, popular for scenic
walks, boat tours,
kyaking
hire, and kyaking lessons.
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