Chester - Frequently Asked Questions

Q.1. What connection did the Romans have with Chester?

A. When the Romans built the fortress of Deva in AD79, they laid the foundations of the city of Chester. The site had probably been an Iron Age settlement but the city owes its origins to the invading Romans.

The hilltop site was the Roman army's base for attacking the tribes from North Wales and soon become one of the main cities in Roman Britain. The legionary fortress was the building block for the medieval and modern city of Chester.

Q.2. Is there anything to see from the Roman occupation?

A. The stone-built amphitheatre is the most distinctive architectural legacy left behind by the Romans. Although only half excavated it is the largest in Britain and had a seating capacity of up to 8,000.

The Minerva Shrine, carved into a rock face south of the city's River Dee also survives and a 'Roman Garden' has columns from the legionary baths and a reconstructed underfloor heating unit. The city's Roman artifacts are on display at the Grosvenor Museum.

Q.3. Who built the city walls and why?

A. The walls rest on Roman foundations as the city started out as a legionary fortress built by the invaders. The walls of the Roman fort were built in stone in the 1st or early 2nd century, but it was the Normans who extended the original circuit, building freestanding walls and adding towers, gates and a ditch.

The main gate had a drawbridge and portcullis. Many parts of the walls have had to be rebuilt because of extensive fire damage through the centuries but the city now has the most complete circuit of walls in the country with a walkway of nearly two miles.

The walls were built to help keep out invaders from neighbouring Wales and to protect the thriving community within them.

Q.4. What is so special about the Rows?

A. These two-tiered medieval galleries are the most distinctive architectural feature in the city and are a unique system of covered walkways with shops and commercial properties on two levels.

The Rows have existed at least since the late 13th century but how they came to be built is not known for sure. Some street-level shops have stone cellars or crypts that are worth a visit.

Q.5. Chester is famous for its black and white architecture so are the buildings Jacobean?

A. Many of the black and white buildings the city is known for are the result of Victorian restoration work. The black and white revival began in the 1850s with architect John Douglas instrumental in the transformation of the city centre.

Architects were encouraged to use the 'rich and lively facades' of the Stuarts as a template for restoring buildings. But there are genuine, half-timbered houses in Chester. Timber-framed buildings from the Jacobean Renaissance can be seen at Bishop Lloyd's House, the Old King's Head, the Falcon, Stanley Palace and the Bear and Billet.

Q.6. The Eastgate Clock is a famous landmark. How old is it?

A. It was erected in 1899 to commemorate Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee two years earlier. The wrought-iron turret was designed by architect John Douglas, an important player in the city's black and white revival. The turret is over the Eastgate archway and spans the walkway of the city walls.

It is said that only Big Ben has been photographed more times than the Eastgate Clock which is used worldwide as a symbol for the city.