When your daily commute includes strolling over serene canals filled with ducks and along centuries-old buildings with rich stories hidden inside the walls, it’s easy to grow nonchalant to all the history held in one of Britain’s most unique cities. But whether you’re a third-year veteran or completely new to Chester, so much is offered that’s worth exploring and re-exploring, and so much that makes Chester a city worth living in.
Chester Walls
However long you’ve been here, it’s almost impossible to have not been on the walls at least once in some place or another.
As the only city in Britain with a complete circuit of Roman walls, some-2000 or so years old, they still offer a highly efficient shortcut to get you where it is you need to be. Whether it’s a 9am lecture at the Wheeler building, or a late night out on the town, the walls are just as quick as they are scenic.
Coming from the Garden Quarter of the city, where you’ll find the university’s Exton Park Campus, as well as many student and young professional letting agents, there are two main ways to access the walls and start making your way around.
If you go to the end of Parkgate Road and through the subway onto Northgate Street, it won’t be long until you come to the two sets of stairs up onto the walls on the appropriately named Northgate, once the Roman entrance to the town.
Alternatively, and for a more scenic route, make your way down the steps where Garden Lane and Cheyney Road meet, then begin making your way along the canal. As you come to Tower Wharf, continue going straight ahead to find yourself at an entrance to the walls via the Water Tower.
Regardless of how you get onto them, I’d personally suggest making your way around the walls clockwise. And make sure you don’t miss the handful of shops and restaurants built adjacent to the Northgate entrance that are worth checking out, such as Hanoi Social, one of my favourite food spots in all of Chester, offering traditional Vietnamese cuisine at great prices.
Chester Cathedral
After passing the Dean’s Field, a large open space that hosts events such as Moonlight Flicks in the summer, you’ll find a clearly marked exit that leads you out to the beautiful grounds of Chester Cathedral.
Both physically and metaphorically, the Cathedral is at the heart of Chester and a must-do for anybody who spends even half a day in the city. And if its stoic gothic exterior that stands out amidst Chester’s cute streets and shops isn’t enough to draw you in, its rich history might.
Whilst it’s thought that the grounds may have been home to a basilica during its time as a Roman stronghold, it’s known that a monastery was established in 1093, not long after a Saxon church was initially built in the 10th century. From there, it was continuously developed upon and rebuilt upon to become what we see in its place today. Its most recent addition, the Addleshaw Tower, was added in the 1960s to house the cathedral bells, which were too complicated to restore and place in the main building.
The cathedral houses an immense level of detail almost certain to take your breath away. From beautiful stained-glass windows to meticulously carved fittings, everything within has been crafted with the upmost attention to detail, and its continued preservation is important and a large focus for those who work there, as well as residents in and around the city.
Whether you visit to check out the garden or the scale Lego model on display, the Cathedral is first and foremost a place of worship, offering services throughout the week to all those who wish to attend.
The River Dee
Nature is intrinsic to living a well-balanced life, and the River Dee offers a wonderful opportunity to ensure you’re taking a break from your work or studies to be one with the world around you.
If you’re on the walls, make your way down at the exit at Newgate and through the Chester Roman Gardens, which incorporate an impressive collection of the various artifacts that have been dug up throughout the city.
From the centre of town, make your way down Bridge Street and past wonderful cafes such as Cinderbox or Carluccio’s. If you continue, you’ll soon find yourself looking out at the serene and impressive river that begins all the way back in Snowdonia ad making its way right across North Wales, as well as the town of Handbridge just across the way.
Walking along the river, you’ll have the opportunity to tuck into some amazing American food and drink at Hickory’s Smokehouse whilst you take in the view. For those wanting something lighter, there are snack and ice cream stands available along the ‘Groves’, as well as benches and steps down that allow you to take a seat and relax.
Grosvenor Park
Set across 20 acres of land just minutes from the centre of the city and with an entrance just next to the river, a stroll around the park is the perfect way to cap off a day in the city centre, or a great way to get out and get some time to yourself.
The park itself is Grade II listed, having largely been designed by John Douglas, whose work can be found right across Chester (including the famous Eastgate Clock). It is home to many features such as Billy Hobby’s Well, a marble statue of Richard Grosvenor, medieval arches moved from the city centre, and more. This has led to it being referred to as ‘one of the finest and most complete examples of Victorian parks in the North West of England, if not nationally’.
Whether you want to read a book as you lay in the grass and take in the sun, or strolling with a date between the beautiful plants, the park can be enjoyed universally.
Those with a passion for the arts can catch the Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre between June and August, which hosts two productions and a stage dedicated to music, comedy, and more. This year saw both A Midsummer Nights Dream and The Great Gatsby performed to great reviews from outlets such as Cheshire Live and The Guardian.
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With all beauty, history, work opportunities, and a great standard of living, Chester has so much to offer for those who choose to make it their home, no matter how long you choose to spend here, and will always have something new to discover!
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