CHESTER:It's easy to overlook Chester, but this charming English city is so full of history that a visit can bring you all the way back to Roman times, writes ELEANOR FITZSIMONS
PERHAPS FAMILIAR to many of us only as a railway station on the line from Holyhead to London, or as a town close to the vast Cheshire Oaks designer outlet, Chester is a charming city that deserves a visit in its own right.
In fact, as shown by the words “Charming Miss Oldfield 1736”, which Samuel Johnson reputedly scratched into the first-floor window of Olde Leche House – now Sofa Workshop – on Watergate Street, discerning out-of-towners have long been attracted here, and this pocket-sized English city, which has a modest population of 120,000, attracts six million visitors a year.
Chester is best explored on foot. The main thoroughfares are easily negotiated and pleasantly traffic free for much of the day, and you could miss many of the city’s architectural oddities from the top deck of a tour bus.
The earliest visitors, the occupants who shaped this city in a way that has lasted millennia, were the Romans, who arrived in about AD 75 and remained for three centuries. Attracted by the defensive and shipping potential of the River Dee, the Romans founded a significant garrison port here, naming it Deva. Chester’s streets trace the outline of what was the most important Roman fortress in Britannia; Eastgate Street, the main thoroughfare, follows the route of the Roman Via Principalis.
Once these early occupants had retreated to deal with troubling matters closer to home, their Saxon successors arrived and gave the city its modern name. (They would, in fact, have called any collection of Roman buildings a ceaster, but over time this was corrupted to Chester.)
The Normans bestowed a notable abbey and imposing castle upon the city, enclosing it within three kilometres of walls so thick that they survive almost entirely intact to this day.
Chester thrived during the Middle Ages, almost came a cropper when it backed the royalist horse during the English Civil War and was rebuilt by the Victorians – but more of that anon.
The central streets are characterised by the distinctive medieval galleried walkways that connect rows of two-tiered black-and-white half-timbered houses. They were named after the trades that thrived in them: Ironmongers’ Row, Shoemakers’ Row, Cookes’ Row and so forth.
Chester suffered greatly during the civil war. In 1645 Oliver Cromwell’s Parliamentarians tried to force their way into the city, which had defiantly remained loyal to Charles I. Chester was besieged, and cannonballs rained down for almost two years, resulting in squalor that prevailed for much of the 17th century.
The passage of two further centuries allowed classical, Georgian and Gothic styles to emerge before the Victorians reinvented Chester as a sort of medieval theme park.
Chester’s most distinctive landmark, the Eastgate arch, is adorned with an ironwork clock commissioned to celebrate Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee, in 1897, the date intricately wrought upon it. Production overran by two years, however, and the second most-photographed clock in Britain, after Big Ben, was belatedly erected only in 1899.
Recommended walks outside the centre take visitors atop the city walls, down to the banks of the Dee and along the quiet towpath bordering the Shropshire Union Canal. The original Roman walls were made of wood, with deep ditches that later accommodated the foundations for the medieval walls. The well-maintained stone walls support a breathtaking walkway. Signs highlight landmarks such as watchtowers and the wishing steps that link the east and south walls. You can also see the city’s imposing cathedral from them.
In 1092 Hugh Lupus, the first Norman earl of Chester, and nephew of William the Conqueror, founded a Benedictine abbey here. Work on the south side of the building began in 1360 but was halted by the plague – a third of the population lost their lives – and didn’t resume for 130 years. The abbey was dissolved by King Henry VIII, but the fine sandstone building was left intact and reclassified as a cathedral. A story persists that Handel composed some of his Messiah in Chester Cathedral while waiting for the steamer that would take him to Dublin.
The city’s Roman amphitheatre, which is being excavated and restored, was stumbled upon as recently as 1929 – extraordinary, considering that it is thought to be the largest in Britain, once capable of holding 7,000 spectators.
For a different take on the city’s past, you can take part in a historic pub crawl, visiting the wonderfully atmospheric Boot Inn, which dates from 1643 and is reputed to have operated as a brothel a century ago, and the recently renovated Falcon, located in an oak-beamed 13th-century building on Bridge Street. Thence to the Pied Bull, a coaching inn on Northgate Street, and perhaps the Old Harkers Arms, a Victorian-themed pub on Russell Street. The best place to park your bar stool is the Albion Inn. This authentic first World War pub is a living museum, well worth popping into for a refreshing pint of real ale.
Benefiting from its proximity to the ferry port at Holyhead, a mere 90-minute drive away, and Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport, 25km away, Chester is within easy reach of Irish holidaymakers who sometimes neglect the treasures nestling just beneath our noses.
Where to stay, where to eat and where to go
5 places to stay
Chester Grosvenor Hotel Spa.Eastgate, 00-44-1244-324024, chestergrosvenor.com. Central five-star hotel with a Michelin-starred restaurant. Double room with breakfast costs £205 (€240) per night. Indulge for Less package offers an overnight stay with breakfast and dinner in La Brasserie for £129.50pps (€150pps) until August 31st.
Best Western Premier Queen Hotel.City Road, 00-44-1244-305000, bw-queenhotel.co.uk.
Newly refurbished Feathers group four-star hotel opposite the train station. Characterised by considerable Victorian charm. Bedrooms and reception rooms are spacious and opulent. Buffet breakfast is substantial. Double rooms from £84 (€100).
Green Bough Hotel.60 Hoole Road, 00-44-1244-326241, chestergreenboughhotel.com. This 16-bedroom gem, a kilometre and a half from the city centre, is a former winner of the small-hotel-of-the-year award. Attention to detail – luxurious toiletries, a selection of DVDs and a teddy bear on every pillow – singles it out from the chains.
Travelodge.St John Street, 00-44-871-9846363, travelodge.co.uk. Ideally located budget option opposite the Roman amphitheatre and close to an array of excellent restaurants and pubs. Basic, modern rooms cost as little as £20 (€25) per night. No on-site parking, but you'll find various multistorey options close by.
Warton Lock Apartments.Wharton Court, Hoole Lane, 00-44-1244-312788, stayinchester.com. Award- winning, well-equipped self-catering option with balcony overlooking the Shropshire Union Canal. Sleeps four. Booking options allow for three-night weekends, four- night midweek stays or weekly holidays. Rates from £65 (€78) per unit per night.
5 places to eat
Piccolino.33 Pepper Row, Pepper Street, 00-44-1244-312123, piccolinorestaurants.co.uk. Welcoming, mid-priced family-friendly, trattoria-style restaurant. Perfectly presented modern and classic Italian fare is complemented by a comprehensive selection of wines, many of them available by the glass.
Siam Thai and Teppan-Yaki Restaurant.32 City Road, 00-44-1244-403222, siam-teppanyaki.co.uk. Lively, cavernous restaurant in a sympathetically refurbished canalside warehouse. Offers an entertaining teppan-yaki experience or a more sedate Thai menu upstairs. Well-presented dishes are served by friendly, welcoming staff.
Duttons.10-12 Godstall Lane, 00-44-1244-401869, duttonschester.co.uk. A wine bar tucked away in a narrow alley in the shadow of the cathedral. The affordable menu runs the full gamut from brunch to substantial evening meals. Expect to wait for a table.
Hickory's Smokehouse.The Groves, 00-44-1244-404000, hickorys.co.uk. New riverside smokehouse offering US-style barbecued options that are generally meat-oriented but also include some vegetarian options. An adventurous children's menu and a dedicated play area make this an ideal and competitively priced option for families.
Simon Radley at the Chester Grosvenor.Eastgate, 00-44-1244-324024, chestergrosvenor.com. This newly refurbished fine-dining establishment has retained its Michelin star for the 20th consecutive year. It is also one of a handful of UK restaurants to receive four rosettes from the AA. Characterised by its seasonal menu and exclusive wine cellar.
5 places to go
Dewa Roman Experience.
1-2 Pierpoint Lane, off Bridge Street, 00-44-1244-343407, dewaromanexperience.co.uk. This interactive tour allows you to experience the sights, sounds and smells of Roman Chester. Atmospheric reconstructions are blended with genuine Roman, Saxon and medieval archaeological remains buried deep beneath the city. Adults £4.95 (€5.90), children £3.25 (€3.90).
Chester Zoo.Caughall Road, Upton, 00-44-1244-380280, chesterzoo.org. Billed as Britain's premier zoo, and set in 40 hectares of lush gardens, this is home to 7,000 animals representing more than 400 species. An enjoyable tropical butterfly journey and Zoofari monorail ride set it apart from similar establishments. Entry is not cheap. A family ticket in high season costs €55.
The Roodee.Chester Race Course, 00-44-1244-304610, chester-races.co.uk. A medieval cross graces the centre of this compact racecourse, one of the oldest in Britain. The winning post is in the shadow of the city walls, and race meetings have been held here since 1541, when the then mayor, Henry Gee, put up a cup for a combined horseracing and archery contest. Meetings are held throughout the summer. Yesterday's May Festival is the most prominent.
ChesterBoat.00-44-1244-325394, chesterboat.co.uk. The River Dee runs through the city, allowing locals and tourists alike to take to the water in rowing boats, pedalos and more substantial three-decker showboats that regularly cruise this sedate waterway. A 30-minute cruise costs about €5. Gourmet trips on the restaurant cruiser L'Eau T'Cuisine are also on offer (millhotel.com).
Ghost Tours.hauntedchester.com. This atmospheric old city, scene of countless dramatic deeds, lends itself perfectly to haunting tales of ghostly goings-on. Guided tours of what is billed as "England's most haunted city" depart from just outside the tourist information centre at 7.30pm on Saturdays. Tickets cost £3.50 (€4.20).
Hot spot
The Albion Inn. Park Street, 00-44-1244-340345 albioninnchester.co.uk. Styled as a quintessentially English public house circa 1914-18, this living museum is adorned with authentic early-century paraphernalia. Hand-pulled bitter or single-malt whiskies are the tipples of choice. Stomach-lining British comfort food is also available. Beware: house rules are strict.
Shop spot
Chester’s two-tiered rows afford shoppers twice the opportunity to browse. Scattered among the usual high-street chains are a number of independent boutiques, jewellery and antique shops not found elsewhere. Watergate Street is a Mecca for antique hunters, who will delight in the treasures on offer in Cestrian Antiques, Moor Hall Antiques and Remini’s Period Emporium. Fashionistas should head for Lisa and Tessuti, Watergate Street, or the exclusive Jade, on Eastgate Street. Pure, on St Werburgh’s Street, offers three floors of designer perfection. Jewellery is a speciality. Boodle Dunthorne, near Eastgate Arch, is elegant and exclusive. Nearby Counter Culture is a more affordable option. Bizarre, in Rufus Court, or Rainforest, on Watergate Street, are right on trend. Walk the city walls and you’ll stumble on two excellent second-hand bookshops, Blue Coat Books and the adjacent Gildas Books.
When to go
There is plenty to see and do at any time of the year. Calendar highlights include Chester Folk Festival, a late-May weekend of céilithe, concerts, dance and crafts; the Lord Mayor’s Show and Chester Carnival, followed by the Midsummer Watch Parades in June; the exuberant Raft Race along the River Dee; the Jazz and Blues Festival and the Summer Music festival, in July; the Chester Regatta, in August; the Chester Literary Festival, throughout October; and, next year, the Food, Drink Lifestyle Festival, in early April (chesterfoodanddrink. com); and the May Festival of Racing.
Go there
Stena Line (stenaline.ie) sails to Holyhead from Dún Laoghaire and Dublin Port. Irish Ferries (irishferries.com) sails from Dublin Port. Ryanair (ryanair.com) flies to Liverpool from Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Kerry, Knock and Shannon.