Visit Chester Places

Welcome to Visit Chester Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Chester

  

Chester Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Chester

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Chester history

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Roman

The Roman Legio II Adiutrix during the reign of the Emperor Vespasian founded Chester in AD 79, as a Roman fort with the name Deva Victrix. A civilian settlement grew around the military base, probably originating from trade with the fortress. The fortress was garrisoned by the legion until at least the late 4th century.

Medieval

Deverdoeu was a Welsh name for Chester as late as the 12th century (cf Dyfrdwy, Welsh for the river Dee) Another, attested in the 9th-century History of the Britons, is Cair Legion (“Fort” or “City of the Legion”) This later developed into Caerlleon and then the modern Welsh Caer. In 616, Æthelfrith of Northumbria defeated a Welsh army at the brutal and decisive Battle of Chester.

Early modern period

Chester sided with the royalist cause of King Charles I, but was subdued by Parliamentarians in 1643. The Mayor of Chester, Charles Walley, was removed from office and replaced by William Edwards. Another alderman, Francis Gamull, was ordered to surrender Dee Mills to be demolished.

Industrial history

Chester played a significant part in the Industrial Revolution which began in the North West of England in the latter part of the 18th century. The city village of Newtown, located north east of the city and bounded by the Shropshire Union Canal was at the very heart of this industry. Newtown with its cattle market and canal, and Hoole with its railways were responsible for providing the vast majority of workers.

Modern era

A considerable amount of land in Chester is owned by the Duke of Westminster who owns an estate, Eaton Hall, near the village of Eccleston. Much of Chester’s architecture dates from the Victorian era, many of the buildings being modeled on the Jacobean half-timbered style.

Chester culture & places

The major museum in Chester is the Grosvenor Museum which includes a collection of Roman tombstones. The £37m Storyhouse arts centre opened in the city centre in 2017. Chester Zoo is the UK’s largest zoo with over 11,000 animals in 110 acres of gardens.

Music

Chester has had a professional classical music festival – the Chester Summer Music Festival, since 1967 and regularly from 1978. A major new music festival was launched in March 2013 (previously known as Chester Performs), running annually every summer. Chester Music Society was founded in 1948 as a small choral society. Chester has a brass band that was formed in 1853.

Media

Chester’s newspapers include the weekly paid-for Chester Chronicle and freesheet Chester Standard. Dee 106.3 is the city’s radio station, with Heart North West, Capital North West and Wales also broadcasting locally. Chester is where Channel 4’s soap-opera Hollyoaks is set.

Chester economy & business

Developments

In 2007 Chester City Council announced a 10-year plan to see Chester become a ‘must see European destination’ The Northgate Development project began in 2007 with the demolition of St. Martin’s House on the city’s ring road. The project was put on hold in 2008 due to the economic downturn.

Chester geography / climate

Chester lies at the southern end of a 2-mile (3.2 km) Triassic sandstone ridge that rises to a height of 42 m within a natural S-bend in the River Dee (before the course was altered in the 18th century)

Climate

Chester has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb), typical of the British Isles but more susceptible to cold than the extreme south. The nearest official weather station is at Hawarden Airport, about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of the city centre. The absolute maximum temperature recorded was 35.2 °C (95.4 °F) during August 1990.

You can visit Chester places with Walkfo Chester to hear history at Chester’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Chester has 200 places to visit in our interactive Chester map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Chester, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Chester places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Chester & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 200 audio facts unique to Chester places in an interactive Chester map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Chester Places Map
200 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Chester historic spots	Chester tourist destinations	Chester plaques	Chester geographic features
Walkfo Chester tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Chester

  

Best Chester places to visit

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Chester has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Chester’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Chester’s information audio spots:

Countess of Chester Country Park The Countess of Chester Country Park is a country park in Upton, Chester, Cheshire, England. It is named after the adjacent County of Chester Hospital.

Chester Golf Club Chester Golf Club is located in Curzon Park, Chester, Cheshire. The 18-hole parkland course is contained within a loop of the River Dee. The clubhouse has a licensed bar.

Dale Barracks Dale Barracks is a military installation at Upton near Chester, England. It is located on the outskirts of Upton, near Chester. Dale Barrack is one of the largest military installations in the UK.

Newtown, Chester Newtown is an area of Chester, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Chester. Newtown is one of the areas in the area of the Cheshire boroughs of Chester and Chester.

Old Bank Buildings, Chester Old Bank Buildings is row of shops and offices in Foregate Street in Chester. It is located in the centre of Foregate St, Chester, on the banks side of the river.

County Hall, Chester County Hall is a former municipal building on Castle Drive in Chester, Cheshire, England. It was the headquarters of Cheshire County Council and is now the Riverside campus of the University of Chester.

Chester Crown Court Chester Crown Court is a judicial facility at Castle Square in Chester, Cheshire. The Grade I listed building forms part of a series of imposing buildings at Chester Castle.

Equestrian statue of Viscount Combermere Equestrian Statue of Viscount Combermere stands on an island in Grosvenor Road, Chester, Cheshire. It commemorates his successful military career, and was made by Carlo Marochetti. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.

Chester Raft Race The Chester Raft Race is an annual charity event taking place every July on the River Dee in Chester. The rafts race against the clock over a quarter mile (400 m) course, starting by the rowing club, and passing under pedestrian suspension bridge.

Chester (district) Chester was a non-metropolitan local government district of Cheshire from 1974 to 2009. It had the status of a city and a borough. Apart from Chester itself, the district covered a large rural area.

Visit Chester plaques