The next day I set off to Chester by train. The day dawned bright and sunny so I could see a few of the views which had been hidden by the mists. The journey took 3 hours but the views out of the window were lovely as the train made its way up the edge of Wales past fields of sheep, rivers and thickets of autumn cloaked trees.
Chester is beautiful. The ancient city walls (mostly dating originally from Roman times) not only still stand, but you can walk around on them. It actively markets its Roman connections: like Caerleon it was a garrison centre, called Dewa, and the centre of town is built on its remains. Any building being constructed has to have an archaeologist supervising to ensure remains are noted and no significant damage caused. There's an interpretative centre perfect for students which shows where the archaeologists have gone down through the various layers and has lots of hands on activities. I had fun making a mosaic using some glass tiles, and putting the 'finds' in the right time period. The museum also has a large Roman section, and it has an extraordinary display of tombstones which have been recovered from places all over town, particularly the walls, where they were used to patch up gaps. Many are in excellent condition as you'll see in the pictures coming.
Chester also has an amphitheatre, discovered when they were digging foundations for a new school building which presumably never happened! They knew it was somewhere there because of historical references and the road system allowed for it but it hadn't been uncovered. Half of it has now been uncovered and the wall across is painted to create a 3D effect of the other half.
Next to the amphitheatre is an ancient church of St John the Baptist. The original Saxon church was built in 689. And it started being rebuilt in Norman style about 1069. It actually has three layers in three different styles. The church was decommissioned during Henry's reign, then allowed to recreate itself as a reformed church. Then Queen Elizabeth came hunting lead for her battles with the Irish and planned to remove all the lead from the roof. The local priests came to an agreement with her: she would take the lead from the east nave, and not the west. Of course the east nave crumbled later and only a few ruins remain.
I also went into the cathedral, just as evensong was concluding. The organist was still playing and created a wonderful atmosphere as I wandered around.
Chester is beautiful. The ancient city walls (mostly dating originally from Roman times) not only still stand, but you can walk around on them. It actively markets its Roman connections: like Caerleon it was a garrison centre, called Dewa, and the centre of town is built on its remains. Any building being constructed has to have an archaeologist supervising to ensure remains are noted and no significant damage caused. There's an interpretative centre perfect for students which shows where the archaeologists have gone down through the various layers and has lots of hands on activities. I had fun making a mosaic using some glass tiles, and putting the 'finds' in the right time period. The museum also has a large Roman section, and it has an extraordinary display of tombstones which have been recovered from places all over town, particularly the walls, where they were used to patch up gaps. Many are in excellent condition as you'll see in the pictures coming.
Chester also has an amphitheatre, discovered when they were digging foundations for a new school building which presumably never happened! They knew it was somewhere there because of historical references and the road system allowed for it but it hadn't been uncovered. Half of it has now been uncovered and the wall across is painted to create a 3D effect of the other half.
Next to the amphitheatre is an ancient church of St John the Baptist. The original Saxon church was built in 689. And it started being rebuilt in Norman style about 1069. It actually has three layers in three different styles. The church was decommissioned during Henry's reign, then allowed to recreate itself as a reformed church. Then Queen Elizabeth came hunting lead for her battles with the Irish and planned to remove all the lead from the roof. The local priests came to an agreement with her: she would take the lead from the east nave, and not the west. Of course the east nave crumbled later and only a few ruins remain.
I also went into the cathedral, just as evensong was concluding. The organist was still playing and created a wonderful atmosphere as I wandered around.
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