5 essentials: what to see and do in Chester (England) in 1 day

Sure you already know that Liverpool y Manchester They are cities where cheap flights arrive from Spain.

This turns these cities into quick and convenient gateways to the Midlands, which is how the regions of the center of England.

If you decide fly to Liverpool, or are you doing a driving tour of western britain, a must-see very close to the city of Beatles es Chester.

I can already tell you that it will not disappoint you at all.

Curiosities about the history of Chester, an ancient Roman city

Chester is a small city of about 120.000 inhabitants located just 44 kilometers south of Liverpool, whose history dates back to the Roman times.

In the year 79 BC in that enclave they established a camp to defend the fertile lands of the river dee, and they remained there for 200 years.

However, its greatest boom was during the medieval times, between the 12th and 14th centuries, when Chester had a port with great commercial activity and, curiously, Liverpool was nothing more than a subsidiary town of Chester.

Over time, the accumulation of sediment caused the sea to recede, which caused the end of its port activity.

What to see and do in Chester in 1 day

Nowadays Chester is known as the the only city in England that still retains its walled enclosure, some sections of which date back to Roman times.

Chester Roman Wall

Therefore, on your visit to Chester you will have the opportunity to walk along this wall, which is very popular with tourists who come to the city, although you should focus the photo of your excursions on other points that I detail below.

Specifically, the most differentiating element of Chester From the tourist point of view you find it on its main street Eastgate.

The Rows, half-timbered houses on Eastgate Street

That's where you find the spectacular houses with half-timbered facades and the historic passageways with shopping galleries known as The Rows.

The latter are unique covered galleries that date back to the 13th century and run along the aforementioned street. Eastgate, as well as by the adjacent Bridge y Watergate.

These peculiar Chester medieval houses They have shops at ground level, but covered galleries in the form of passages were developed above them in which shops were also located.

To access these galleries, the famous The Rows, you have to climb some steps that we find at certain points in the galleries.

What we currently see in these central streets of Chester They are the succession of houses with half-timbered facades, under which these galleries with their shops run.

The best access point to these galleries is at the confluence of the aforementioned streets. Eastgate y Bridge, in the small square known as The Cross. 

This is the real historic city center, a corner that you will recognize by its small stone cross, a reconstruction of a 15th century crucifix.

Although all of these houses are of medieval origin, which is clearly seen in their basements, the truth is that very few of them maintain their complete structure.

In reality, most of the houses have had significant renovations, especially in the Victorian era.

Eastgate Clock

Another corner to highlight on the street Eastgate of Chester is the small bridge that crosses it on the east side of the wall, on which the wrought iron clock Eastgate. which has become a true icon of the city.

It is a beautiful clock located on the portico that is known as the East Gate (Eastgate).

To understand the importance that this clock mounted on a metal structure has acquired, the comment made that the  Eastgate is, after the Big Ben London, the most photographed watch in the world.

It is impossible to know if it is true, but the truth is that during your visit to Chester you will not be able to stop appreciating the great beauty of this watch, nor will you be able to stop the temptation to take photos of it.

History Chester Eastgate Clock is linked to the history of the aforementioned East Gate.

Its origins date back to 79 BC, when the Roman fortress was established, which had a double-arched wooden door, with a statue of Mars in the center, through which one exited towards the lands to the east of the Deva fortress, which was what it was called.

In medieval times, in the 14th century, a tall rectangular stone tower was built, under which a narrow porch leading to the city opened.

Later, in the 18th century, the city walls were no longer necessary for defensive purposes, so it was decided to demolish the gates, starting with the Eastgate, which, due to its narrowness, made traffic through the city difficult.

So it was in the year 1768 when the arc that we can currently see, and that emulates the door that throughout the history of Chester had been occupying that space.

And this is where the story begins. Eastgate Clock.

Specifically, build a clock on the eastgate arch was one of the proposals that were made in Chester in 1872 to celebrate the Queen Victoria Jubilee.

Although the initial project was to build a stone tower to place the clock, it was finally decided to place it on a lighter, and cheaper, iron structure.

The clock was inaugurated in May 1899, coinciding with the Queen Victoria's 80th birthday

Over time the Clock eastgate has been gaining popularity in Chester and throughout England, although it was not until 1956 when the city council first used the image of the clock on the cover of an official tourist guide.

Since then, thousands of us visiting Chester have photographed that beautiful clock.

Chester Norman Cathedral

From a monumental point of view, the most important visit to make in Chester is its Norman cathedral, which you find in the Town Hall Square.

If you visit in the afternoon of a sunny day, the chester cathedral It will surprise you with the reddish color of its sandstone construction.

The current building of the Chester Cathedral dates back to year 1250 .

De Norman architectural style, its construction lasted for three centuries, but the origin of the aforementioned building actually dates back before.

Already in Roman times there was a temple on the site currently occupied by the cathedral.

However, in 1093 a Benedictine monastery and the church was converted into its abbey, until 1250 when the building was renovated to build the current cathedral building.

Later, during the 19th century, the cathedral underwent new and extensive restorations.

Al visit Chester Cathedral, a very beautiful building with a cruciform design and with a large central tower, you will find a warm and somewhat dark interior.

In addition to appreciating the great ornamentation of its interior and the numerous and beautiful stained glass windows, you must raise your head to discover the beauty of the ceiling of the central nave.

But there are two corners where you should focus your attention.

Chester Cathedral Choir

On one hand, the spectacular gothic choir of 1283, which is located in front of the High altar, in the central nave, and whose masterpiece is its stalls from 1380.

This seating is considered a unique set in England, and we will only find something similar in the lincoln cathedral.

La Chester Cathedral Stalls It has 48 seats carved with great finesse and decorated with an opulent canopy and figurative sculptures.

Apart from the stalls, the atrium is from the 17th century, as well as the candelabra supports. For the rest, the rest of the elements of the choir were restored in the 19th century in a neo-Gothic style.

Cloister of Chester Cathedral

And on the other hand, the beautiful cloister, with its central garden and corners of great beauty, such as the refectory or the chapter house.

El cloister You will find it to the left of the central nave of the cathedral, where its beautiful gothic choir.

The entire architectural complex of the cloister has its origins in the 13th century, when it was built in a style known as early english gothic, although it has had successive restorations, the most important in the 16th century, and the last in the 20th century.

The result is its rectangular structure of porticoed corridors with a dark atmosphere and a beautifully trussed ceiling.

The porticos of the cloister are not open to the garden, but are covered by some stained glass windows in which up to 130 saints are represented, and which are the cause of that dark atmosphere.

The main room of this cloister that we can visit in Chester is the spectacular Chapter Room Built between 1225 and 1240, where monks met to do religious readings, with its hall from the year 1200.

To highlight its oak wood sideboard, from the year 1290, and its beautiful colored stained glass window. From the same period is the refectory, monks' dining room.

In the center of cloister is located a beautiful garden, in the center of which there is a modern sculpture, from 1994, known as The water of life.

Chester Cathedral visit schedules

The Chester Cathedral visiting hours They are, from Monday to Saturday, from 9,30:18 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on Sundays, from 17 a.m. to XNUMX p.m.

To visit Chester Cathedral entry is free, but in summer visitors are charged a small fee. donation.

Chester Neo-Gothic Town Hall

And to complete your visit to Chester, other notable spots are the Town Hall building and Grosvenor Museum, where the history of the city is shown.

This aforementioned building of apparent Gothic style, with its high central tower 49 meters high, is not a medieval building.

In fact, the historic building of the Chester Town Hall It dates back to 1698, but in 1862 it collapsed after a fire. It was then that it was decided to build a new building to house the city council.

Finally, the current building was inaugurated in 1869 by the Prince of Wales from then on, who would later be the King Edward VII.

El Chester Town Hall was built with a neogothic architectural style, using characteristic elements of 13th century Gothic architecture.

In your Chester's visit You should not settle for appreciating the beauty of its exterior, but it is worth entering its interior, which also shows this style.

What better excuse for this than to go to the Tourist Office that is found inside.

In reality, most of the municipal administrative offices are located in an annex building, and the building has remained a symbol of the city's civil government.

In fact, you can rent rooms and it is also widely used for weddings.

Map: where it is and how to get to Chester