Chester, Cheshire
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ChesterFamous for its black and white half-timbered buildings which seem to be the quintessence of Old English style, Chester is situated on the banks of the River Dee and its history and traditions started many centuries back. It was once a Roman fortress and naval base built on a sandstone ridge on a loop of the river that winds past the city.During the Middle Ages, Chester functioned as a major port exporting gloves, candles, salt and cheese. Eventually, however, the river silted up and the harbour became what is today the Roodee racecourse which has held horse racing since 1540 and is located immediately adjcent to the city walls. No other city in Britain has preserved a continous circuit of walls like Chester. These walls, measuring about 2 miles (3 km) long, are part Roman and part medieval and embrace the old part of the city. In the corner between the Eastgate and the Northgate stands the King Charles's tower, from which Charles I watched the defeat of his troops during the Civil War in September 1645. In the city centre are the Chester Rows. These unique shopping arcades first appear in the city records in 1331 and are believed to have been originated in the 14th century when the merchants erected shops at street level against the lower courses of the Roman buildings that lined the streets or on top of the stone rubble and made steps and walkaways to link them. Bridge Street and Watergate Street offer a great display of architectural mastery and the Bear and Billet public house in Lower Bridge Street, former home of the Earls of Shrewsbury, is also certainly worth a visit.
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