| Chester Express
Welcome to Chester Express - Your guide to Dining, Partying and Staying in Chester, Cheshire in the North West of England.
At Chester Express you will find information, links and independent reviews for all the city's finest Restaurants, Bars, Pubs & Hotels. All reviews and comments are contributed by Chester Express visitors and unlike some other review sites, we do not accept any paid or sponsored reviews; so you know that any opinions are provided by real people, relating real experiences.
Chester has a superb selection of restaurants, bars, pubs and hotels and you are sure to find somewhere to suit both your mood and budget.
Chester Information
| Population: |
77,040 (2001 Census) |
| District: |
Chester |
| County: |
Cheshire |
| Region: |
North West |
| Country: |
England, UK |
| Postcode district: |
CH1 |
| Dialling code: |
01244 |
| Patron Saint: |
Saint Werburgh |
| Adjective: |
Cestrian |
Chester is the county town of Cheshire, in the North West of England in the United Kingdom, which lies on the River Dee near the border with Wales. Chester was granted city status in 1541 after being founded as a Roman fort, or Castra called Deva Victrix in AD 79. Chester boasts the most complete city walls in Britain, most sections of which are Grade 1 listed.
Chester is twinned with a number of cities worldwide - Sens in France, Loerrach in Germany, Lakewood, Colorado in the USA and Senigallia in Italy.
The city attracts a huge number of tourists from around the UK, Europe and Worldwide. Notable attractions in addition to the remarkable Roman architecture include the city's famous and unique 'Rows', which date from medieval times and encircle the bounds of the medieval city, the full circuit of which measures nearly 2 miles (3 km).
A footpath runs along the top of the walls, which provides a wonderful circuit from which to explore Chester on a delightful walk; particularly during spring and summer. The footpath crosses roads by bridges over Eastgate, Northgate, St Martin's Gate, Watergate, Bridgegate, Newgate, and the Wolf Gate, and passes a series of structures, namely Phoenix Tower (or King Charles' Tower), Morgan's Mount, the Goblin Tower (or Pemberton's Parlour), and Bonewaldesthorne's Tower with a spur leading to the Water Tower, and Thimbleby's Tower. On Eastgate is Eastgate Clock which is said to be the most photographed clock in England after Big Ben.
Amongst the most prominent buildings in the city centre are the town hall and the cathedral. The town hall was opened in 1869. It is in Gothic Revival style and has a tower and a short spire. The cathedral was formerly the church of St Werburgh's Abbey and its architecture dates back to the Norman era.
Roman remains can still be found in the city, particularly in the basements of some of the buildings and in the lower parts of the northern section of the city walls. The most important Roman feature is the amphitheatre just outside the walls. Roman artifacts are on display in the Roman Gardens which run parallel to the city walls from Newgate to the River Dee. Of the medieval city the most important surviving structure is Chester Castle, particularly the Agricola Tower. Much of the rest of the castle has been replaced by the neoclassical county court and its entrance, the Propyleum.
To the south of the city runs the River Dee, with its 11th century weir. The river is crossed by the Old Dee Bridge, dating from the 13th century, the Grosvenor Bridge of 1832, and Queen's Park suspension bridge. To the southwest of the city the River Dee curves towards the north. The area between the river and the city walls here is known as the Roodee, and contains Chester Racecourse. The Shropshire Union Canal runs to the north of the city and a branch leads from it to the River Dee.
Chester is home to a number of the UK's largest companies, primarily in the service industries comprising retail, tourism and financial services; the latter being particularly important with Chester's main employers being Bank of America (MBNA Europe), HBOS and Marks & Spencer Money.
There is also a large Shell oil refinery nearby and within a few miles of the North Wales border, near the village of Broughton there is an Airbus UK factory, where the wings of Airbus aircraft, including the Airbus A380 are manufactured. There are a number of food processing plants to the north and west and the Iceland frozen food company is based in nearby Deeside.
Chester has its own university, the University of Chester, and a major hospital, the Countess of Chester Hospital, named after Diana, Princess of Wales and Countess of Chester.
A considerable amount of land in Chester is owned by the The Duke of Westminster KG OBE TD DL who owns the 'Eaton Hall' estate near the village of Eccleston. He also has vast London properties in Mayfair. A clue to how influential the family has been is to be found in the name of the Houses of Parliament at Westminster. Indeed, the clock tower which houses Big Ben was copied on the Duke's estate home of Eaton Hall and can be seen from the Aldford to Chester road.
Grosvenor is the Duke's family name, which explains such features in the City as the Grosvenor Bridge, the Grosvenor Hotel, and Grosvenor Park. Much of Chester's architecture dates from the Victorian era.
On January 13, 2002, Chester was granted Fairtrade City status. This status was renewed by the Fairtrade Foundation on August 20, 2003.
Chester City football club were elected to the Football League in 1931 and have played at their Deva Stadium since 1992. Notable former players include Ian Rush (who also managed the club), Cyrille Regis, Arthur Albiston, Earl Barrett, Lee Dixon, Steve Harkness, Roberto Martinez and Stan Pearson.
Chester Racecourse hosts several flat race meetings from the spring to the autumn. The races take place within view of the City walls and attract tens of thousands of visitors. The May meeting includes several nationally significant races such as the Chester Vase, which is recognised as a trial for the Epsom Derby.
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. Chester Golf Club can also be found near the banks of the Dee.
Chester's main newspapers are the Chester Evening Leader and the Chester Chronicle. Dee 106.3 is the city's own radio station. Chester is the city where the popular Channel 4 soap 'Hollyoaks' is set.
The city is a hub for major roads, including the M53 motorway towards the Wirral Peninsula and Liverpool and the M56 motorway towards Manchester. The A55 road runs along the North Wales coast to Holyhead and the A483 links the city to Wrexham.
Well known Cestrians include amongst many others: Daniel Craig, Jeff Green and Michael Owen.
Useful Links
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