Chester History & Heritage
Chester History & Heritage is part of Chester City Council. A one-stop local history and family history centre for Chester residents and visitors located in the historic St Michael's Church on Bridge St.
THE HISTORY OF CHESTER IN 5 MINUTES - Fresh Happenings: Episode 33
Chester: Home to a world-famous Roman amphitheatre, a world-famous Victorian clock, and the world-famous Major Happenings. Here, Adam gives you a whirlwind tour of the city in under five minutes.
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Heritage city CHESTER England reminds Roman history.
Roman history....
Chester History & Heritage
a brief glance inside Chester History & Heritage Centre
A Walk Through Chester, England
Chester is a walled city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is the largest and most populous settlement of the unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the 2001 Census,[increasing to 329,608 at the 2011 Census. Chester was granted city status in 1541.
Chester was founded as a castrum or Roman fort with the name Deva Victrix, during the reign of the Emperor Vespasian in AD79. One of the three main army camps in the Roman province of Britannia, Deva later became a major civilian settlement. In 689, King Æthelred of Mercia founded the Minster Church of West Mercia, which later became Chester's first cathedral, and the Saxons extended and strengthened the walls, much of which remain, to protect the city against the Danes. Chester was one of the last cities in England to fall to the Normans. William the Conqueror ordered the construction of a castle, to dominate the town and the nearby Welsh border.
Chester is one of the best preserved walled cities in Britain. It has a number of medieval buildings, but some of the black-and-white buildings within the city centre are Victorian restorations. Apart from a 100-metre (330 ft) section, the listed Grade I walls are almost complete. The Industrial Revolution brought railways, canals, and new roads to the city, which saw substantial expansion and development – Chester Town Hall and the Grosvenor Museum are examples of Victorian architecture from this period.
Places to see in ( Chester - UK )
Places to see in ( Chester - UK )
Chester is a city in northwest England, founded as a Roman fortress in the 1st century A.D. It's known for its extensive Roman walls made of local red sandstone. In the old city, the Rows is a shopping district distinguished by 2-level covered arcades and Tudor-style half-timber buildings. A Roman amphitheatre, with ongoing excavations, lies just outside the old city's walls.
Chester is a walled city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales. Chester was founded as a castrum or Roman fort with the name Deva Victrix in the reign of the Emperor Vespasian in 79 AD. One of the main army camps in Roman Britain, Deva later became a major civilian settlement. In 689, King Æthelred of Mercia founded the Minster Church of West Mercia, which later became Chester's first cathedral, and the Saxons extended and strengthened the walls to protect the city against the Danes. Chester was one of the last cities in England to fall to the Normans. William the Conqueror ordered the construction of a castle, to dominate the town and the nearby Welsh border.
Chester is one of the best preserved walled cities in Britain. It has a number of medieval buildings, but some of the black-and-white buildings within the city centre are Victorian restorations. Apart from a 100-metre (330 ft) section, the listed Grade I walls are almost complete. The Industrial Revolution brought railways, canals, and new roads to the city, which saw substantial expansion and development – Chester Town Hall and the Grosvenor Museum are examples of Victorian architecture from this period.
Bus transport in the city is provided by Stagecoach Group and Arriva Buses Wales, the council owned and operated ChesterBus (formerly Chester City Transport). Chester formerly had two railway stations. Chester General railway station remains in use but Chester Northgate closed in 1969 as a result of the Beeching Axe. The Chester Canal had locks down to the River Dee. Canal boats could enter the river at high tide to load goods directly onto seagoing vessels.
Alot to see in ( Chester - UK ) such as :
Grosvenor Museum
Eastgate and Eastgate Clock
Grosvenor Park, Chester
Chester Zoo
Cheshire Military Museum
Chester Roman Amphitheatre
St Michael's Church, Chester
Chester Cathedral
Blue Planet Aquarium
Chester Castle
Ness Botanic Gardens
Tatton Park
Wales Coast Path
Chester city walls
Dewa Roman Experience
Chester Roman Gardens
St John the Baptist's Church, Chester
Hawarden Castle
Chester Cathedral Falconry and Nature Gardens
King Charles Tower, Chester UK
Minerva's Shrine, Chester
Chester High Cross
Suspension Bridge, Chester
Blacon Adventure Playground
Marford Quarry
( Chester - UK ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting the city of Chester . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Chester - UK
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Chester's Romantic Heritage
A team of historians has revealed that Chester – not Paris or Venice – is the original city of love, and a new campaign has been launched by Marketing Cheshire, CH1ChesterBID, Big Heritage and the Grosvenor Museum to reclaim the city’s crown.
History boffins at Big Heritage and the city’s Grosvenor Museum have uncovered an incredible collection of romantic artefacts dating back hundreds of years and lovebirds across the region can see the tender trinkets and treasures on display for the very first time over Valentine’s weekend.
A Walk Through Chester Cathedral, Chester, England
Chester Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral and the mother church of the Diocese of Chester. It is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral (formerly the abbey church of a Benedictine monastery, dedicated to Saint Werburgh) is dedicated to Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since 1541 it has been the seat of the Bishop of Chester.
The cathedral is a Grade I listed building, and part of a heritage site that also includes the former monastic buildings to the north, which are also listed Grade I. The cathedral, typical of English cathedrals in having been modified many times, dates from between 1093 and the early 16th century, although the site itself may have been used for Christian worship since Roman times. All the major styles of English medieval architecture, from Norman to Perpendicular, are represented in the present building.
The cathedral and former monastic buildings were extensively restored during the 19th century (amidst some controversy), and a free-standing bell-tower was added in the 20th century. The buildings are a major tourist attraction in Chester. In addition to holding services for Christian worship, the cathedral is used as a venue for concerts and exhibitions.
he city of Chester was an important Roman stronghold. There may have been a Christian basilica on the site of the present cathedral in the late Roman era, while Chester was controlled by Legio XX Valeria Victrix. Legend holds that the basilica was dedicated to St Paul and Saint Peter. This is supported by evidence that in Saxon times the dedication of an early chapel on this site was changed from Saint Peter to Saint Werburgh.
During the Dark Ages Barloc of Norbury, a Catholic Celtic saint and hermit, was venerated at Chester Cathedral with a feast day on 10 September. He is known to history mainly through the hagiography of the Secgan Manuscript; he also occurs in a litany in the Tanner of the Bodleian Library, Oxford.
In the 10th century, St Werburgh's remains were brought to Chester, and 907 AD her shrine was placed in the church. It is thought that Æthelfleda turned the church into a college of secular canons, and that it was given a charter by King Edgar in 968. The collegiate church, as it was then, was restored in 1057 by Leofric, Earl of Mercia and Lady Godiva. This church was razed to the ground around 1090, with the secular canons evicted, and no known trace of it remains.
Although little trace of the 10th-century church has been discovered, save possibly some Saxon masonry found during a 1997 excavation of the nave, there is much evidence of the monastery of 1093. This work in the Norman style may be seen in the northwest tower, the north transept and in remaining parts of the monastic buildings. The abbey church, beginning with the Lady Chapel at the eastern end, was extensively rebuilt in Gothic style during the 13th and 14th centuries. At the time of the dissolution of the monasteries, the cloister, the central tower, a new south transept, the large west window and a new entrance porch to the south had just been built in the Perpendicular style, and the southwest tower of the façade had been begun. The west front was given a Tudor entrance, but the tower was never completed.
In 1636 the space beneath the south west tower became a bishop's consistory court. It was furnished as such at that time, and is now a unique survival in England, hearing its last case, that of an attempted suicide of a priest, in the 1930s. Until 1881, the south transept, which is unusually large, also took on a separate function as an independent ecclesiastical entity: the parish church of St Oswald. Although the 17th century saw additions to the furnishings and fittings, there was no further building work for several centuries. By the 19th century, the building was badly in need of restoration. The present homogeneous appearance that the cathedral presents from many exterior angles is largely the work of Victorian restorers, particularly George Gilbert Scott.
Chester the Original City of Love
Find out why the city of Chester has been described by some, as the original city of love!
Chester, England: Architecture and History
Video of Chester filmed by me during a family trip highlighting some of the architecture and history of this great Roman City which was founded by the Romans in AD 79 as a fort known as Deva.
Starting at the river banks of Chester, viewing Victorian structures, bridges (modern and old) and on leaving the river banks making our way up the walkway to the ruins of the 'church of St. John the Baptist'; on the walkway to the ruins a chance to see some of Chester's wildlife, namely squirrels foraging for food amongst the autumn leaves.
After visiting the ruins we then proceed to the Chester Amphitheatre Project, the excavation of the Roman Amphitheatre. Finally, viewing the old city walls, historical streets and architectural buildings and structures of Chester including the Façade of 'The Edinburgh Woollen Mill' and the city clock tower built in 1897 with the initials of VR (Victoria Regina), Queen Victoria.
The ruins filmed in this video are of the Eastern Ruins of the church of St. John the Baptist. The remains of the Norman Choir and Medieval chapels which once formed the east end of St. John's Church which in the Middle Ages was twice the length of the current building. This end of the church was abandoned and allowed to fall into ruins in 1581 when St. John's became a parish church. The upper stories of the Chapter House have long since gone but the stone vaulted under croft dating back to the late 12th century survives.
The Chapter House was attached to the south side of the Choir, on either side of the door are stone arches with blind arcading which continue inside the church and show how the Choir was split when the new east wall was built in 1581. Most of the east wall was rebuilt during the Victorian Period but one original 16th century section survives next to the Chapter House.
The ruins were enclosed behind a high stone wall on which over the century's earth accumulated raising the ground level by over two metres (6ft); this was excavated in 1871 when the Priory House built in the 18th century over the vaulted room (used as a kitchen) was demolished to reveal many fine stone bosses from the ruined chapels.
The Priory House, a large brick and stucco house, was owned by Mrs de Quincey, mother of the author Thomas de Quincey (1785-1859) critic, essayist and friends to Lakeland poets William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Robert, Earl of Grosvenor lived in the Priory House in 1808 when he was the Mayor of Chester.
Official Website:
Background music: Full Moon Rising (Desert Scape) license free music automatically generated by Avid Studio.
Chester Memories
Chester Memories in evocative moving pictures - capturing the favorite haunts of today and yesterday. See the city as the world has loved it down the years.
What was Chester like in the 1930s?
This video uses recently discovered film from the 1920s up to the present day. Chester is shown in CORONATION YEAR OF 1937. The New Gate is shown under construction and on the river, boat trips are offered by men in smart naval uniform. Pupils from the Cathedral School are seen complete with mortarboards. In 1929 an electric tram has stopped in Eastgate for passengers. In 1932 we take a look at Chester Carnival on the Roodee and in 1963 people are SKATING AND WALKING ON THE FROZEN RIVER DEE.
We see the changes over 60 years together with some film of Chester in recent times.
The full DVD of this title is available from merseysidedvds.co.uk
City Centre, Chester
Video of Chester City Centre - see also my vid of the City Walls.
Chester living History Festival Part 2
Some nice clips of a very interesting festival in Chester, UK of time gone By
Chester Tour of history. Medieval england haunted Cheshire UK
A look at Chester's fine history on view to all in the year 2017. Part 2 to this great video will follow shortly.
Hope you enjoy the pictures of Chester as we see it today.
Thank you for looking.
Chester's Roman Fort: Explore the 2000 year old Roman Fort on Hadrian's Wall
On the way to Scotland we had planned to stop somewhere along Hadrian's Wall. Mom really wanted to see it. I had heard that Housesteads Fort was the best place to go, but since we were coming from Barnard Castle we decided that Chester's Roman Fort was the better choice. Chester's Fort is only 1/4 mile West of Chollerford, in Northumberland, on B6318. This was the first of a few places we visited that had no direct connection to our family.
We went through the museum, which has a lot of interesting artifacts from the Roman period. A walk down a path from the back of the museum leads to the fort ruins.
Originally called Cilurnum, Chester's Fort was built ca. 124 AD, just after Hadrian's Wall. It's primary purpose was to guard the bridge across the River North Tyne. The fort replaced a turret, as forts were not part of the original design of Hadrian's Wall in 122. It straddled the wall with roughly half built North of the wall and the rest South. The fort housed a Cavalry Regiment of 500 soldiers called Augusta.
Around 178 AD the fort was occupied by the Second Asturians; a cavalry unit from Spain who remained at Chester's until the end of the Roman period. Much of the fort was rebuilt for the Asturians, and the visible barracks are from this time. During the period of 180 AD to 250 AD a settlement grew outside the fort walls. While there have been no excavations of the settlement, evidence from other forts suggest that it would have been abandoned by the end of the 3rd century due to the increase of civil wars and barbarian invasions.
Through the 4th century Chester's declined. Few inscriptions were made to record daily life or fort history. Soldiers were not paid cash as much as previously but instead received goods or services. Chester's would have been increasingly cut off from Rome, but it is not known whether the unit was removed or simply left to fend for themselves. There is no evidence of occupation of Chester's after the 5th century. Around 675 the bridge was dismantled to build the church at Hexham.
In 1796 the land was owned by Nathaniel Clayton. He had the fort leveled and buried to form a park between his mansion and the river. His son John inherited the place in 1832 and began excavation work at the fort. He also bought the land at Housesteads and began excavation work there. After John died in 1890 his nephew Nathaniel George Clayton continued work until 1895. He commissioned the museum in 1896, and it was finished in 1903.
In 1954 the fort, baths, and wall were placed in the care of the Ministry of Works, now English Heritage. As we had bought an English Heritage OVP we got in for free.
Chester's Roman Fort at English Heritage
The Wikipedia article on Cilurnum
More on Hadrian's Wall
Find it on Google Maps:
In Around Chester, 1930s
Filmed by Peter Calamari
A Bulwark Of The Legions - Chester (1934)
Titles read: A bulwark of the Legions - Chester.
Chester, Cheshire.
Various shots of the city of Chester, showing the numerous half-timbered houses with elaborate carved panels, the famous clock tower and 'rows' - the walkways that run along the second storey of shops on the main streets. We also see the town hall and Cathedral, and then several shots of the walls that run around the whole city and people walking along them. The final shot shows the River Dee with the city in the distance.
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Chester, England
Chester has a delightful mix of Victorian, Gothic and modern styles and is easily reached as a lovely day-trip from London, just 2 hours by train. Downtown Chester has an unusual two-level system of shops called The Rows that will double your enjoyemtn. We take a walk with local guide Thomas Hands who shows us the Roman ruins, cathedral, encircling wall and much more.
My Visit to Chester, UK
The most beautiful city !!!