Chester

As I've been consigned to the hinterlands of northern England, I've been trying to make the best of it by taking every other weekend to explore the area, starting with Glasgow a fortnight* ago, and last weekend in Chester.

The Romans were in England from 43CE to 410CE and built a number of cities, the most famous of course being Londinium, now known as London. Chester was a Roman town built on a sandstone outcropping along the River Dee, established to control north-west England.  In fact, "chester"
is from the Latin "castra", meaning a military camp or fort.  Any town that ends in "-chester" or "-cester" was likely of Roman origins, such as  Manchester, Winchester, Gloucester, and Leicester.  (Note that "-cester" is pronounced "-ster" except for "Cirencester.")
    

Chester, like most Roman towns, was a walled city.  It still retains many of its walls, plus a 900-year-old cathedral. One of its unique characteristics, however, are "The Rows," which are shops on two levels, with a public walkway on both levels, that go back to the 12th century.  There are a couple of theories, but the most plausible was that because they city was built on sandstone, it was too difficult to dig a basement, but the shops still needed storage so the ground floor became a storeroom and the shop was built above.  As the city grew and space became more valuable, the storerooms were converted to ground-floor shops, as well.

But the practical effect is to give the streets a surreal, Disney-like feeling. The roads are still cobbled, and the main roads form a cross with a church at the center, so it is visible (and audible) from any part of the town.  The houses are generally tudor, with the strong black-and-white markings and appalling craftsmanship that make you wonder how they are still standing, 400 years later.  Although most of the shops are typical high-street stores, you can't help but feel like you've been transported to the past.  The only other place I've felt like that is York, which is hardly surprising--York was a Roman town built to control north-east England.

Sadly, what let Chester down is its cathedral.  To be fair, it's a beautiful cathedral, although the Victorians went a little nuts and decided to change its authentic Gothic exterior with a 'Gothic revival' exterior, full of decorative spirals and flags and whatever took their fancy.  The interior is still fairly authentic, but it does not have that 'awesome' (in its strict definition) feeling of the York Minster.  So after much soul-searching, York still retains the title of my favourite UK city.

I also think York is more cohesive, if that's the right word -- you can wander all over York and still feel the magic. If you leave the main streets of Chester, however, the spell is broken and you're faced with 60's redevelopment, concrete council houses, and car parks.

 

* Two weeks. Learn English.