DISCOVER CHESTER, Cheshire
Chester is the county town of Cheshire, England. Situated on the River Dee, on the border with Wales, Chester is one of the best-preserved walled cities in the United Kingdom. It is the main settlement of the wider Chester District, and has a total population of 80,121. Its name in Welsh is Caer.
Chester is perhaps most notable for its successive historic uses and occupations, and the subsequent variety of architectural monuments found within the settlement.
The patron saint of Chester is Saint Werburgh. The city's motto is 'Antiqui Colant Antiquum Dierum', which translates as 'Let the Ancients worship the Ancient of Days'. The adjective associated with the city is Cestrian.
Chester is renowned in the United Kingdom as the "Walled City". It has the most complete city walls within the UK and they are a Grade I listed building. The first walls date from the Roman times, but they have been replaced, enlarged and repared at various times since then.
 BRIEF HISTORY OF CHESTER
The history of Chester extends back nearly two millennia, covering all periods of British history in between then and the present day. The city of Chester was founded as a fort, known as Deva, by the Romans in AD 79, and named after the goddess of the River Dee. The city was the scene of battles between warring Welsh and Saxon kingdoms throughout the post-Roman years until the Saxons strengthened the fort against raiding Danes.
Following the Norman Conquest in 1066, Chester came under the Earl of Chester. It became a centre of the defence against Welsh raiders and a launch point for raids on Ireland.
The city grew as a trading port until the power of the Port of Liverpool and "silting up" of the river overtook it. However the city did not decline and during the Georgian and Victorian periods was seen as a place of escape from the more industrial cities of Manchester and Liverpool.
CHESTER TODAY
A considerable amount of land in Chester is owned by the Duke of Westminster who owns an estate - Eaton Hall - near the village of Eccleston.
Grosvenor is the Duke's family name, which explains such features in the City such as the Grosvenor Bridge, the Grosvenor Hotel, and Grosvenor Park. Much of Chester's architecture dates from the Victorian era, with many of the buildings modelled on the Jacobean half timbered style of the medieval times being designed by John Douglas, who was employed by the Duke as his principal architect. He had a trademark of twisted chimneystacks, many of which can be seen on the buildings in the City centre.
Douglas designed amongst other buildings the Grosvenor Hotel and the City Baths. In 1911, Douglas' protege and city architect James Strong designed the then active fire station on the west side of Northgate Street. Another feature of all buildings belonging to the estate of Westminster is the 'Grey Diamonds'--a weaving pattern of grey bricks in the red brickwork laid out in a diamond formation.
By 1945 two problems needed attention: first, affordable housing and second, traffic congestion. As a result vast areas of slums were cleared and in 1964 an inner by-pass ring road was built to direct traffic through and around the City centre. Large areas of open fields on the outskirts of the City were turned into residential areas in the 1950s and early 1960s producing, for instance, the suburb of Blacon.
In the late 1960s the City authorities realised that new developments were radically altering the look of the City centre. In 1968 Donald Insall published a report in collaboration with the City authorities and central government, which recommended preserving historic buildings and finding new uses for them, rather than simply tearing them down.
In 1969 the City Conservation Area was designated. Over the next 20 years the emphasis was placed on saving historic buildings, such as The Falcon Inn, Dutch Houses and Kings Buildings.
On January 13, 2002, Chester was granted Fairtrade City status. This status was renewed by the Fairtrade Foundation on August 20, 2003.
Cestrians are often perceived (partly-jokingly) as being 'anti-Welsh' (although many have Welsh ancestors). This is exemplified by the fact that the Town Hall clock does not face west towards Wales (so as not to give the Welsh the "time of day"), and an archaic law which states any Cestrian may shoot a Welshman with a longbow if he loiters within the walls after sunset when the curfew bell chimes (although this law no-longer offers legal protection against prosecution for murder). However, many Cestrians work and shop in Wales, and Chester shares a radio station with Wrexham, Wales.
CHESTER RENAISSANCE
In 2007 Chester Council announced a 10 year plan to see Chester become a "must see European destination". At a cost of £1.3 billion it has been nicknamed Chester Renaissance. There are currently four major developments occurring in Chester.
In 2007, the Northgate Development project began. At a cost of £400 million, Chester City Council and developers ING, hope to create a new quarter for Chester. The development will see the demolition of the current market hall, bus station, theatre and NCP car park and the local Northgate Arena leisure centre. In its place will be a new multi-storey car park, bus exchange, performing arts centre, homes, retail space and a flagship department store and a hotel.
SHOPPING IN CHESTER
The city is a popular shopping centre, with its unique 'Rows' or galleries (basically two levels of shops) which date from medieval times. The city is heavily populated by chain stores both in the centre and on retail parks to the west, and also features two indoor shopping centres, an indoor market and a department store, Browns of Chester, now absorbed by the Debenhams chain. There are two main indoor shopping centres: The Grosvenor Mall and the Forum (a reference to the City's Roman past). The Forum, which houses stores and the Chester Market, will be demolished in the Northgate Development scheme to make way for new shopping streets, a new indoor market, an enlarged library, a car park and bus station, and a performing arts centre.
ARTS & SPORT
In the summer the city hosts the annual Chester Music Festival, the Chester Midsummer Watch Parade and the Chester Mystery Plays, the latter of which dates from medieval times. Numerous pubs and wine bars, some of which date from medieval times, populate the city. Chester also has some nightclubs, which are soon going to be added to by the development of two new clubs in the next eighteen months. Also to the east side of the city are the UK's largest zoological gardens, Chester Zoo. Chester has its own film society.
The city features the Grosvenor Museum, which contains exhibitions about the city's Roman past as well as a reconstructed Georgian house. The Dewa Roman Experience, completely dedicated to the city's Roman heritage, is also based in the centre of the city, as is the Chester Heritage Centre and the Cheshire Military Museum. Chester also has it's own roman ghost tour
The city has a football team, Chester City F.C. (Coca-Cola League 2), who play at the Deva Stadium; a national basketball team, the newly named, BiG Storage Cheshire Jets Champions, who play in the city's Northgate Arena leisure centre; and a wheelchair basketball team, the Chester Wheelchair Jets. Chester also has a successful Hockey Club Chester HC who play at the County Officers' Club on Plas Newton Lane, and also an American Football team, the Chester Romans, who are part of the British American Football League.
The River Dee is also home to several rowing clubs, notably Grosvenor Rowing Club and Royal Chester Rowing Club, as well as two school clubs, The King's School Chester Rowing Club and Queen's Park High Rowing Club. The weir is regularly used by a number of local canoe and kayak clubs. Each July a charity raft race is held on the River Dee.
Chester Golf Club can also be found near the banks of the Dee.
From Wikipedia
 CHESTER HOTELS & ACCOMMODATION
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