The ancient walled city of Chester is located in northwest England near the Welsh border and lying on the River Dee. It is the largest town in the county of Cheshire and, while not one of the best-known tourist destinations in England, it is considered by some to be one of the gems of Northern England when it comes to English history.
This area is known for is lovely countryside with rolling hills and the dales in between. The county of Cheshire is famous for the cheese of that name and Alice’s Cheshire cat. Small quaint villages are scattered around the Cheshire countryside near Chester and in the area you can find Beeston Castle, built in the 12th century.
Chester’s History
Chester has a history dating back 2000 years. The city was originally built as a “castrum”, or fort, in the year 79 by the Romans while under the rule of Emperor Vespasian. It was used to defend against the neighboring Welshmen. The fort was given the name Deva Victrix and as one of three main Roman bases, it later became an important settlement in Britannia, a Roman province. The four main roads in Chester today, Watergate, Northgate, Eastgate, and Bridge are on routes that were laid out by the Romans during that time.
In the 5th century, the Romans left the area. At that time Wales was split into separate kingdoms. It is thought that Chester was in the northern of the two Welsh kingdoms. But when the Saxons invaded eastern England they pushed towards the west and Cheshire. In 617 the Welsh and Saxons fell into battle. This battle ended with the Saxons winning and thus taking the town over and giving it its name. At the time, the Saxons called any group of Roman buildings a “ceaster”. Eventually, this word became “Chester”.
The Saxon’s used Chester as a fortification, but in the 9th century the Danes invaded England. By the winter of 893 the Danes had made it to Chester and had taken over the ancient Roman fort. They spent the winter in Chester but were later surrounded and ousted from Chester by King Alfred the Great.
The Saxons encouraged people to settle in Chester after this and it remained in their hands until becoming one of the last towns to fall to the Normans around 1066. At this time, William the Conqueror ordered that a castle be constructed in order to show dominance of not only the town but the border of Wales. In 1071, Hugh d’Avranches became the first Earl of Chester.
Chester grew and prospered during the Middle Ages. They successfully traded with Ireland and North Wales, but their main industry was leather making. St. Werburgh abbey was built as well as a nunnery during this time. In the 16th century, however, Henry VIII had the abbey converted to the now famous Chester Cathedral.
The rest of Chester’s history follows that of most of England until it developed into what it is today. Remnants of its past can be seen all around the city, providing one of the many reasons to visit Chester. As well as the famous history of chester there are also a number of attractions not to be missed. Check out our run down of some of the best attractions in Chester and some of the Hotels in Chester.