After the Romans withdrew circa AD400, the prosperous city
fell prey to marauding Danes and Saxons and was virtually
derelict by 900.
The Normans reached Chester circa 1070 and a revival began,
Chester Castle was built, housing Hugh the Wolf, First Earl
of Chester, nephew of William the Conqueror. By the Middle
Ages, Chester had become an affluent and prosperous port.
It was during this time that the famous Rows were built. so
that by the 13th century, it had again become a centre of
shipping trade, a port serving Scotland,
Ireland, France and Spain. In the 14th century began the Mystery
Plays and pageants for which the city became famous. Henry
VIII granted a charter in 1541 and made Chester a bishopric.
By the 15th century, the Dee began to silt up and gradually,
the seaborne trade died. Impoverished by this natural action
the 1640s brought devastation during the English Civil War,
with the city under siege for two years until starvation forced
surrender.
But throughout this chequered history, the Roman walls remained
virtually intact. The walls extend in a 2 mile circuit and
give a vivid reminder of what a medieval fortified town was
like. In the Middle Ages, several towers and gates to the
walls were made: the most important of these was at Eastgate,
now astride a main throughfare and crowned with an anachronistic
clock commemorating Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee (1897).
By the 1700s, the River Dee had changed course and the port
had silted up. The walls were no longer needed for defence
and were restyled into the pleasant walkways that we enjoy
today. The Industrial Revolution brought canals, railways
and roads. It was during this time that many important buildings
were restored.
The most distinctive medieval feature of the city is The
Rows. These are double-level walkways with a continuous line
of balconies and with shops at street and first-floor levels.
The Rows are unique and were certainly in existence in the
14th century.
Chester Cathedral | Chester City Walls | Chester Zoo
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