Chester

Chester. Coffee And A Cheese Toastie.

The weather’s been frightful and far from delightful.

Here in my stretch of North West England there’s been a run of far too many grim, grey, rain spattered days. The sort where you spend far too much time looking out of the window in the hope of finding that elusive sliver of blue in the clouds, a faint sign that better weather is on the way.

After a week or so of playing hide and seek with freezing rain showers, getting the camera gear together only having to sit and wait for another rain squall to take the hint and disappear, I decided to get out of the house no matter what. I decided to play it safe – ish with a train trip to Chester. If the weather was good there would be walks to be had down by the river or around the city’s impressive walls. Or if bad then it would be the city’s Rows to walk through, the market, the Cathedral etc. You get my drift.

On the day it wasn’t warm and it wasn’t really dry but I got out and took a few shots. I also had a coffee and a cheese Toastie at the Barrista Coffee Co place on the bus station while I did a bit of people watching.

CHESTER. The Bus station.

CHESTER. The bus station forecourt seen from the Barrista Coffee Co cafe.

CHESTER. Northgate Street & Clock.

CHESTER. Northgate Street busy with the Saturday shoppers and tourists hustle and bustle underneath the famous clock on the walls which still encircle the city.

CHESTER. Chester. Bridge Street Rows.

CHESTER. Chester is famous for The Rows, a clutch of streets in the city centre that are a Victorian recreation of the origonal medieval two tier shopping streets. This is a view from the upper level of the Rows on Bridge Street. Great places to stop, look down and watch the tooing and froing down below.

CHESTER. Chester. The Cross.

CHESTER. Chester is famous for The Rows, a clutch of streets in the city centre that are a Victorian recreation of the origonal medieval two tier shopping streets. This is a view from the upper level of the Rows on Bridge Street. Great places to stop, look down and watch the tooing and froing down below. This is Chester Cross, across the way can be seen the steps leading to the upper level of the Rows.

CHESTER. Chester. Bridge Street.

CHESTER. it would take some effort to go hungry or thirsty in Chester, it doesn’t lack places to eat and drink.

 

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Chester. A City And It’s Walls.

Fancying a few hours out and about in the cool October air I took the train out to Chester. I have a choice of rail routes to the city and this time I took the longer one through Liverpool and down the Wirral Peninsular. I like to use rail journeys to make notes and work on ideas for blog posts, books and other photo projects.

I arrived in Chester just before lunchtime and decided to to the market for a bite to eat, I’d seen a bakery stall there on a previous visit and thought I would give it a try. Yes it was good, very good in fact, it’s now on my list of places to eat and drink. I like having these bolt holes, oases where I can sit back and watch the world go by.

As you will see from the photos, the weather was not the most inspiring or welcoming but it was good enough to have a walk around and see what was going on in Chester.

17/10/18. CHESTER. Northgate Street.

CHESTER. Northgate Sttreet opens out to form a square in front of the Town Hall and across from that sits the Cathedral of St. Werburgh.

17/10/18. CHESTER. The Groves.

CHESTER. The Groves is the pleasantly tree lined promenade down by Chester’s river, the Dee. Busy with visitors on a crisp cool day as the leaves take on their autumn colours.

17/10/18. CHESTER. Morgan's Mount.

CHESTER. Morgans Mount on the city walls. The cannon sculpture commemorating the civil war. In 1645 King Charles Ist watched the defeat of his forces at the Battle of Rownton Moor from a tower on the Walls of Chester. The cannon sculpture was created by Colin Spofforth.

17/10/18. CHESTER. The Market. Crustem Bakery.

CHESTER. Crustem Bakery and Cafe on the market.

17/10/18. CHESTER. The Market. Crustem Bakery.

CHESTER. Crustem Bakery and Cafe on the market. My chicken, bacon & salad sandwich. I had seen this bakery on a previous visit to Chester but I had already eaten and anyway the place was quite busy but I made a note of it for future reference. I was not disappointed and I shall be returning.

17/10/18. CHESTER. The Market. Crustem Bakery.

CHESTER. Crustem Bakery and Cafe on the market.

17/10/18. CHESTER. The Water Tower.

CHESTER. Now garlanded with trees, the Water Tower once stood with the waters of the River Dee lapping against it’s base as it guarded the entrance to Chester’s harbour on the river.The silting of the Dee as it’s course changed led to the closing of the harbour and the city loosing it’s pre-eminence as a trading port to Liverpool on the River Mersey and left the Water Tower standing on dry land.

17/10/18. CHESTER. Watergate Street Centurion.

CHESTER. On the corner of Bridge Street & Watergate Street a local Centurion goes about his duties. You encounter these costumed guides quite regularly around the city, often in charge of parties of schoolchildren enjoying the experience of being drilled and marching as the Roman Army.

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19/04/14 CHESTER. The Eastgate Clock.

CHESHIRE, Chester. The clock on the Eastgate, Eastgate Street.

With its origins as Deva, a Roman settlement founded in the AD70’s Chester is one of my favourite destinations and as the city is only a short train ride away I visit frequently through the year. Above is the elegant clock which sits on top of the walls on Eastgate Street, accepted as possibly the most photographed clock in the UK after Big Ben. The clock was erected in 1899 to commemorate the Jubilee of Queen Victoria and sits  on the archway which replaced the original gateway in the 1700’s. Chester is proud of its walls which still completely circle the city and as the need for their defensive capabilities receded they became a place to walk and promenade, helping them to survive largely unscathed to the present.

04/10/14 CHESHIRE, Chester. Eastgate Street.

CHESHIRE, Chester. Eastgate Street looking down from the Eastgate and the clock. The street full of shoppers on a sunny autumn Saturday.

this is the view from under the Eastgate clock looking up toward Chester Cross.  The half timber buildings which are another of the recognisable features of Chester line the street on either side. These contain The Rows, the covered, first floor shopping areas, medieval in origin they were heavily renovated in Victorian times and these together with restricted vehicle access make Chester one of the easier cities to get around.

19/04/14 CHESTER. Bridge Street & Eastgate Street.

CHESHIRE, Chester. The Top of Bridge Street, looking along Eastgate Street towards the Eastgate clock.

This is Chester Cross at the head of Bridge Street, Eastgate Street leads away back to the clock and on the right can be seen the steps which lead up the The Rows. this area is a great meeting place, with sand artists, buskers and preachers all adding their efforts to the lively mix that ebbs and flows along. 

19/04/14 CHESTER. Bridge Street, The Rows.

CHESHIRE, Chester. Bridge Street, the Rows.

Inside The Rows on Bridge Street which leads down to the River Dee. The Rows make an excellent grandstand from which to watch Chester go by and practise you candid photography skills.

 

 

19/04/14 CHESTER. Bridge Street. Coffee For Two.

CHESHIRE, Chester. Bridge Street, a couple enjoying afternoon coffee in the sunshine

The Rows also extend along Bridge Street.

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CHESHIRE. Chester. Looking down Bridge Street & The Rows towards the River.

Another of Chester’s glories is it’s cathedral, dedicated to St. Werburgh. It originally dates from the 1090’s and in that organic way of cathedrals in the Uk it has gone through an almost continuous, almost organic process of rebuilding and modification. The last being the addition of a freestanding bell tower in the 20th cent.

18/03/13 CHESTER. The Cathedral

Chester Cathedral was originally founded in 1092 as a Benedictine Abbey, some early Norman architecture survives inside. Rebuilding took place in the 13th century, the Cathedral also has 14th century wood carvings on the stalls. The nave roof was built by Sit Charles Gilbert Scott who carried out some restoration in the 19th century.

Should you now be feeling a little out of breath from your tour of Chester you can head down to the River Dee, only a short walk away and enjoy the tree lined Groves area.

21/09/13 CHESTER. The Bandstand on the Groves.

CHESHIRE, Chester. Autumn colours the trees by the bandstand on The Groves by the River Dee.

here you an sit and take some time out, practice your candid camera skills or take a boat trip along the river.

21/09/13 CHESTER. The Bandstand & the Troubadours.

CHESHIRE, Chester. The bandstand in The Groves by the River Dee. The trio is the Troubadours, entertaining the crowds on a sunny afternoon.

You may even be treated to a performance from the elegant bandstand as you relax.

19/04/14 CHESTER. The Groves. Accordionist

CHESHIRE, Chester. An accordionist playing in the Groves alongside the River Dee.

Or you may be serenaded by one of the many buskers who entertain the crowds. 

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