Why visit
Chester City Walls is worth allowing time for because it combines a structure whose engineering, design and relationship with its surroundings can be read on site. The site is more useful than a quick photograph: its surviving features give clear evidence of how the place developed and how people used it. Key things to concentrate on are key structural details, the building’s relationship with the surrounding streetscape or landscape and historic urban setting. Its position in or near Chester also makes it a practical anchor for exploring the surrounding region without reducing the visit to a simple landmark stop.
What you will see
- key structural details.
- the building’s relationship with the surrounding streetscape or landscape.
- historic urban setting.
History
Chester’s walls developed from Roman defences around Deva Victrix and were altered through the medieval and later periods. The surviving circuit gives an unusually continuous walk around the historic centre.
Photographs
John S Turner · CC BY-SA 2.0 · full attribution on the image credits page.
Visitor tips
- 1
Allow enough time for the principal features rather than treating the stop only as a photograph.
- 2
Check the official visitor page shortly before travel for access, booking and any temporary restrictions.
About North West England
Lake District mountains and lakes, historic Chester, Liverpool’s waterfront and Manchester’s industrial and scientific heritage.
Open the United Kingdom guide
John S Turner · CC BY-SA 2.0