bowdon. - Cheshire County Council - Cheshire County Council ...

DIRF.eTOR.Y.] CHESHIRE. CHESTER. 215armoury and magazine, over which are committee andreading rooms, and there is a dwelling house for the haUkeeper.The Campbell Memorial HaU, Boughton, erected at theexpense of Mrs. Pitcairn Campbell, in memory of herhusband, the Rev. Edward Augustus Pitcairn CampbellM.A. of Vicar's Cross, Chester, who died in 1892, is astructure of red brick with stone facings, comprising alarge hall for entertainments, gymnasium, two biUiardrooms, reading room and Ubrary. The building, openedSept. 16, 1895, is vested in trustees for the benefit of theparish of Boughton. Edward S, Giles esq. solicitor, ishon. sec.The city of Chester was at one time a place of considerablecommercial importance, but •with the rise ofLiverpool it gradually declined; there are, however, somemanufactures, which include the shot tower and lendsmelting works and extensive white lead and paint factoriesof Messrs. Walkers, Parker and Co. Limited, also tobaccoand snuff factories, several timber yards and steam sawmiUs, breweries, corn mills with steam and water power,and the extensive nurseries of Messrs. Dicksons Limited.The markets are on Wednesday and Saturday, the latterbeing the principal day: the Market Hall, in Northgatestreet, is a spacious building, well suppUed with meat, fish,poultry, vegetables, and all kinds of prorisions. The cornmarket, on Saturday, is held in the Corn Exchange, Eastgatestreet, and is well attended by the neighbouringfarmers. There is also a weekly market for homed cattle,sheep and pigs held in the Cattle Market, George street, onThursdays, and sales bv auction of fat stock every Tuesday.Cheese fairs are held in the Market HaU, Northgate street!on the third Wednesday in each month. There are alsofairs every month for horses and cattle, held on Thursdays.There are five newspapers, two of which have a largecirculation and have been established mure than a century ;the third aaid fourth a few months previous to therepeal of the stamp duty. The fifth (which is a monthlypublication) has an extensiive circulation amongst thefarmers of Cheshire, They are the "Ohester Courant,"Conservative, established 1730; " Chester Chronicle,"Liberal, estabUshed 1775; " Chester Guardian andRecord;'' "Cheshire Observer,"' established 1851; and"The Farmers' Herald,"The Shropshire Union Railways and Oanal Company'sboats load daily at the Tower wharf and Cow Lane wharf,for Liverpool and principal towns in North Wales, Shropshireand North and South Staffordshire,The Grosvenor Hotel, on the north side of Eastgatestreet, erected in 1866 at a cost of ;£'3o,ooo, by the lateMarquess of Westminster, is a building of red pressedbrick and Bath stone, in the style of the i6th century,from designs by the late Messrs, Penson and Ritchie,architects, of this dty. The prindpal or Eastgate streetfront includes a continuation of the " Row " on that sideof the street, the superstructure being carried on acolonnade of polished Anglesea marble shafts with mouldedstone bases, and carved and moulded capitals; the hotelcontains a magnificent baU or assembly room, convenientlyholding about 300 persons.The Queen Hotel, adjoining the Railway Station, withwhich it communicates, was built in i860, and is an extensivebuilding of stone, with spacious coffee, dining andother rooms. The Hop Pole Hotel, Foregate street, andthe BuU and Stirrup Hotel, Upper Northgate street, arealso good and well-managed hostelries.The Post Office, in St. John's street, erected in 1876,is a handsome red brick building with stone facings, andhas commodious offices.The Chester City Baths, situated in Union street, wereerected in 1901, and contain ladies' and gentiemen'sprivate and swimming baths.The Royalty Theatre, in City road, and erected in 1882,is of brick and stone, and will seat about 2,000 persons.The Music HaU, in Northgate street, an edifice of brickand stone, with an entrance in St. Werburgh street, •willseat about 1,000 persons, and is used for concerts &c.The Public Library and Beading Eoom, in St, Johnstreet, formerly the Mechanics' Institute, •was opened asa Free Library in 1876, and comprises lending andreference departments, with a large general readingroom and a separate ladies' reading room; the totalnumber of volumes in the library is now (igo6) 22,000;the library is managed by a committee of the CityCouncil, and usually consists of 16 members.The (jrosvenor Museum, in Grosvenor street, erect-ed in1885, at a cost of about ^^20,000, raised hy public subscription,is an edifice of brick and stone in the Renaissancestjle, from plans by Mr. T. M. Lockwood, architect,of Chester, The museum contains many interesting relicsdiscovered within the city, besides various objects ofgeneral historical and archaeological interest; and thereis also a natural history museum, which contains a finecoUection of birds in groups, and excellent lecture roomsin which the Chester Archaeological and Historic Societyand the Society of Natural Science and Literature holdtheir meetings: the School of Science and Art and theTechnical School and School of Cookery are also carried onhere.The Liberal Club, in Watergate street, was first foundedin 1883, the old property costing j^2,5oo; in 1891-2 thebuildings were re-modeUed, at a cost of ;^i,50o, andopened 31 March, 1892, and now comprise biUiard room,reading room, dining, chess and reception rooms kc. andat the rear is a piece of ground for recreation. In i8g6the club was endowed by a gift of ;^2,5oo from the president.Alderman Oharles Brown J,P.; it is managed bya committee of 12 members, and there were in igo6,470 members.The Chester and County Unionist Club, in Newgatestreet, erected in 1898, comprises an as'sembly room,billiard and chess rooms, dining and reading rooms, andother apartments. The club is managed by a committee.The City Club, in St. Peter's churchyard, Northgatestreet, was founded 10 June, 1807, and its buildings,erected in that year at a cost of ;^3,ooo, are Classical instyle, and were designed by the late Mr. Harrison, architect,of Ohester. The club, opened 10 June, 1808, containsreading and bilUard rooms, card room and steward'soffices ; there were in igo6 100 proprietary and 40 subscribingmembers. The club is managed by a cimmitteeof 15 persons.The Grosvenor Club, in Eastgate street, and erected bythe Trustees of Owen Jones's Charity, is a building of redDrick, with Helsby and Manley stone dressings, in a lateGothic style, erected in 1883, from the designs of Messrs.Douglas and Pordham, the ground floor of which is in theoccupation of the North and South Wales Bank lAm. Theclub was originaUy established in 1866, and until 1883occupied room.s at the Grosvenor H-otel; there are about250 members, the majority of whom belong to thecounties of Cheshire, Flintshire and Denbighshire.The charities of the city, for distribution in money andkind, apart from the parochial gifts, amount to about^1,500 yearly.The Hospital of St. John was founded by Ranulph orRandle de Meschines, surnamed " Blundevil," 4th Earl ofChester of this family, Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond(1181-1232), for the maintenance of thirteen poorand impotent persons, each of them to receive dailythroughout the year, a quartern loaf of good bread, adish of pottage, and a certain pittance of " fish or flesh asthe day may be, and half a gallon of competent ale," Thehospital, situated in rear of the Blue Coat School, formsthree sides of a quadrangle, and at present consists ofthirteen houses, each containing sitting-room, bed-roomand scullery under the same roof, and inhabited bythirteen poor and aged people, male or female, eachreceiving ten shiUings per week, together -with gas, acertain aUowance of coals during the year and medicalattendance; one of the inmates acts as matron and nurse,'Xhe chapel of St. John, mentioned above, and now includedin St, Oswa.ld's parish, is a portion of the samef undation, and the whole is under the control of theLocal Charity Trustees, the Eev. Joseph Louis BedfordM.A. of Queen's College, Cambridge, and incumbent ofLittle St. John's, has been perpetual curate and chaplainsince 1881; the whole of tne sittings in the chapel arefree. The income of the hospital, incorporating that ofSt. Giles's hospital, is about ^^761 yearly, derived fromhouses, lands and tithes.The Ohester General Infirmary in St. Martin's-in-the-F.elds, established in 1755, is a structure of brick in aplain style, containing 118 beds, 50 of which are for men,40 for women, 20 for children, and 8 for ophthalmic cases;during the year igo5 there were 1,140 in-patients, 4,375nut-patdents, and 2,056 home and district patients. Theinfirmary is managed by a board elected by the governors,and is supported by voluntarv subscriptions and by onannual grant by the Duke of Westminster from the feespaid to His Grace by the public for viewing Eaton Hall;the grant for the year igo5 amounted to ;^50o,St, Michael's Almshouses, in Pepper street, werefounded in 1658 by William Jones esq. Middle Temple,London, for 4 men and 5 women, each of whom receives20s, per month ; this charity has a yearly income of about/i;8, derived from property consisting of houses andlind.Warden's Almshouses, Crook street, were erected ini85g by WUliam WardeU esq. in connection with Mr.Thomas Green's Charity of 1602; they are 6 in numberand are for aged persons, each of whom receivp^ 8s, perweek and a ton of coal yearly.