Recently I had a chance to visit Chester, constructed about 2000 years ago by the Roman Empire. Chester is about a 2 hour train ride from London and is well worth a weekend visit. For those interested in Roman history, see the most complete City Walls in all of Britain, an amphitheatre that seated more than 7000 spectators, The Grosvenor Museum that displays items like Roman Tombstones and more. The Dewa Roman Experience has more wonders for visitors.
On this particular visit I concentrated on touring the “Rows” which are two-tier galleries done in a distinctive half timbered black and white style. The shops ranged from clothing, jewelry, department stores, specialty shops for running to a gambit of food & coffee shops. It was a great place to stroll around with my turmeric latte and take in the sights.
After my stroll around the “Rows” I made a quick detour to see the Eastgate Clock which was built to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897. Unfortunately, at that time of day the lighting was not ideal for a great photo, but I wanted to share this with you.
My final stop was Chester Cathedral which is a 1000 year old Cathedral. Admission is free, but a donation is appreciated due to the costs associated with keeping the Cathedral open. I must say, it was truly beautiful and I was amazed walking around, just thinking about how long this building had been there, what it had gone through etc. There were people buried in there from the Battle of Waterlook and much, much earlier. Examples of Medieval Grave Slabs could be seen.
The stained glass windows could keep you busy for hours. I was able to get some nice photos with the late afternoon sun streaming in.
I’ve included a map below so you can see the different areas that you can tour. You could spend hours in there reading tomb inscriptions and plaques, books listing causalities from WWI & WWII from the town etc.
After you finished touring the cathedral and it’s many rooms, you could stop by the cafe for a bite to eat or afternoon tea if you liked. I stopped by the gift shop on the way out to purchase a pretty tea towel for myself.