British Travel Journal | Summer 2021

city. This was built as

city. This was built as the Goblin Tower but now it’s locally known as Pemberton’s Parlour after a mayor of Chester who was involved in its reconstruction. Below this stand two towers built to defend the Roman port. The one nearest the river is called - not surprisingly - Water Tower while the other is named after Bonewaldesthorne, an officer in the army of Queen Aethelflaed, who in the tenthcentury was responsible for extending Chester’s Roman walls down to the river. Surprisingly, at this point a railway line is cut straight through the walls. This act of Victorian vandalism was done in 1846, long before the city walls were scheduled as an ancient monument in 1979. The walk along the western length of the walls gives a good view over the Roodee racecourse which was Britain’s largest port in Roman times. The River Dee now skirts the racecourse in the distance where it is crossed by the Grosvenor Bridge. When this elegant stone bridge was opened by Queen Victoria’s mother in 1832, it was the longest single-span arch bridge in the world, an honour that it retained for 30 years. After Roodee the wall reaches Chester Castle which was built on raised ground overlooking the River Dee. Constructed over centuries in the same sandstone as the city wall the castle consists of a Norman tower, a medieval stronghold and a sequence of neoclassical buildings that were designed by Thomas WHERE TO EAT – JOSEPH BENJAMIN This popular modern restaurant close to North Gate was created by Joseph and Benjamin who are also responsible for Porta Tapas next door. This winning team have recently ventured into Greater Manchester too. 134 – 140 Northgate Street, 01244 344295, josephbenjamin.co.uk – CHEF’S TABLE A tiny, cheerful café-cum-bistro that is open from breakfast till very late. Bare boards and black tables rightly place all the emphasis on the food and the service. This is probably also the best vegan restaurant in Chester. Music Hall Passage, 01244 403040, chefstablechester.co.uk – THE ARCHITECT Close to the race course, the home of Thomas Harrison who created so many of Chester’s fine 19th century buildings has been turned into a pub-cum-dining room offering traditional British dishes with an eastern twist. 54 Nicholas St, 01244 353070, brunningandprice.co.uk/architect/ – IMAGE © D.SEJRUP 98 BritishTravelJournal.com

Words | Adrian Mourby Pictured: King Charles Tower found in the North East corner of Chester's City Walls walk MEDIEVAL time every British city needed walls. Most demolished them in less turbulent times, to ease expansion in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries but a few cities were far-sighted enough – or simply not wealthy enough – and deferred demolition until it happened that walls suddenly became fashionable again. Nowadays we no longer need them to keep out marauders or exclude rebellious armies but walls do keep a town centre compact and they do make for a great tourist attraction as well. Nowhere in Britain have city walls been so well preserved as at Chester, a small half-timbered, sandstone city on the River Dee that was a major west coast port in Roman times. The port silted 106 BRITISHTRAVELJOURNAL.COM BRITISHTRAVELJOURNAL.COM 107 walls. Stratford -upon -Avon Pictured Left-Right: Afternoon Tea at The Architect, Nicholas Street; Chester Castle; The Roman Gardens Harrison (1788 – 1813) the same person who designed Grosvenor Bridge. Today Chester’s military museum and Crown Courts are housed in the castle. Just before Bridge Gate the wall briefly disappears and becomes Castle Drive and the University’s Riverside complex, but it resumes within a few hundred yards at Old Dee Bridge. The very first bridge on this site was built by the Romans but this span dates from 1387. On the far side of this low sandstone structure there are the remains of a Roman temple to Minerva and the road then leads on to Wales. In medieval times relations between the people of Chester and their Welsh neighbours were so bad that it was not deemed illegal to kill a Welshman found within the city. (This law has never been repealed.) We are almost back at Peppergate but do look out beyond the walls as we come full circle. Next to the eleventh-century Church of St John the Baptist – greatly reduced following many collapses over the centuries – lie the remains of the largest Roman amphitheatre in Britain. Only half of it has been dug out because to uncover the rest several buildings would have to be demolished, not to mention the damage to St John’s shaky foundations. Now it’s time to set off into the centre and explore. For more information visit visitcheshire.com/chester IN OUR NEXT ISSUE: Stratford -upon-Avon, wander round this medieval market town in England's West Midlands... WALKING TOUR OF... STRATFORD UPON-AVON Visit Stratford upon Avon to catch a performance at one of Shakespeare’s plays or take a boat on the river. DISTANCE — This 2 mile walk takes about 45 minutes but will of course take longer if you stop to take photographs or divert off it to explore all the curious and historic sights visible from the NCE UPON A Y à WHERE TO STAY – THE CHESTER GROSVENOR Built by the Duke of Westminster, this five-star Chester hotel represents very high standards of service. It also offers valet-parking and a Michelin-starred dining room with over 1000 wine labels. Simon Radley at The Grosvenor. Eastgate St, 01244 324024, chestergrosvenor.com – ODDFELLOWS With visually-stunning public rooms, Oddfellows is a well-heeled counterculture boutique hotel hidden behind a sombre 19th century facade. Modern bedrooms lie across a courtyard known as The Secret Garden. 20 Lower Bridge Street, 01244 345454, oddfellowschester.com – EDGAR HOUSE Perhaps the most romantic hotel in Chester is this luxury Georgian villa on the city walls and overlooking the River Dee. A sweeping staircase, working fireplaces and lots of chandeliers complete the blend of heritage and luxury. 22 City Walls, 01244 347007, edgarhouse.co.uk – BritishTravelJournal.com 99