Chester City Walls

Laura Harris

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Chester City Walls

Vicar's Lane,, Chester,, CH1 1QX
Chester City Walls
Michael Brace
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Among everything Chester has to offer, the Chester City Walls are perhaps the most remarkable. Some two miles in length, Chester boasts the oldest, longest and most complete city walls in all of Britain. Parts of the walls are almost 2,000 years old and were initiated by the Romans who famously made Chester a fortress. That said, the circuit that stands today was only completed by the middle of the 12th century, testament to the monumental task that was building these ancient defensive walls.

Today, visitors to Chester can walk the length of the city walls, and feel themselves walking back in time. Doing so is the best way to truly get a sense of Chester, a city drenched in millennia of history. The main access onto the walls is at each of the four main gateways – Northgate, Eastgate, Watergate and Bridgegate. However there are other stairways up to the walls dotted around the city, including accessible ramps.

Conserving the walls has been a key priority of Chester. They are now recognised as a Scheduled Monument, with every section of the walls recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I or II listed building. The walls need constant repair and attention to secure them for future generations, so don’t be surprised if part of the wall is closed for renovations on your visit.

Once on top of the walls you’ll be rewarded with the spectacular views over the city and its waterways which have so much charm and character. To circumvent the walls takes on average 40 minutes. Although, with countless places to stop and enjoy the view of the river and of Chester Cathedral, be sure to give yourself enough time to soak it all in – and why not pick up a picnic from one of Chester’s great delis or market to enjoy along the way?

What's on near Chester City Walls

Open Air Theatre at Grosvenor Park
Until
FestivalsChester
Open Air Theatre at Grosvenor Park

Expect another fabulous season of open-air theatre when Pride and Prejudice, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Alice in Wonderland play Grosvenor Park this summer.

From £10.80
Topsy Turvy
Families
Topsy Turvy 25

Theatre Porto’s joyful outdoor celebration returns to Whitby Park this summer with another wonderfully topsy-turvy weekend of art, performance and playful surprises. Taking over the park from 7–10 August, Topsy

From £5.50
Love Lane Brewery Exterior
Until
TourBaltic Triangle
Love Lane & Higsons Brewery Tour Experience!

Every weekend in Liverpool’s buzzing Baltic Triangle, Love Lane Brewery invites visitors behind the scenes for an hour-long tour through its striking, industrial space. Housed in a converted rubber factory,

From £25.00

Where to go near Chester City Walls

Grosvenor Park, Chester
Chester
Park
Grosvenor Park

Overlooking the River Dee to the south of the city, Grosvenor Park is one of Chester’s best-loved green spaces.

ChesterBoat river cruise, Chester
Chester
Tourist Attraction
ChesterBoat

ChesterBoat is a family-owned business with more than forty year’s experience of welcoming visitors to the beautiful River Dee. They offer half-hour and two-hour sightseeing cruises, as well as private hires, fish and chip cruises, and themed party nights.

Chester Roman Gardens
Chester
Park
Roman Gardens

Chester’s Roman Gardens are a pleasant place for a stroll and during the summer months the place to watch a film at the annual, outdoor, Moonlight Flicks cinema programme.

Gallery stock image
Cheshire
Gallery
Clarendon Fine Art

Contemporary art on display and for sale in Cheshire. Come and browse their varied collections and converse with knowledgeable staff.

Bar stock image
Cheshire
Restaurant
Metronome Jazz Bar

This small and atmospheric bar is a cosy venue with a resident Jazz pianist, fantastic staff and a record player filled with, naturally, iconic jazz.

Chester
Hotel
Hotel Indigo Chester

Hotel Indigo Chester is an elegant and welcoming hotel in the heart of this beautiful city, with the equally excellent Wood Chester as in-house restaurant.

Whitmore & White
Chester
Shop
Whitmore & White

Whitmore & White is an award-winning deli and independent wine merchant in the heart of romantic Chester serving a plethora of charcuterie, cheeses and confectionery.

Edgar House hotel, Chester
Chester
Hotel
Edgar House

Edgar House is a fine period Georgian house which has been lovingly refurbished to create Chester’s award winning premier small luxury hotel – just for adults.

Oddfellows hotel, Chester
Chester
Hotel
Oddfellows

Oddfellows hotel inhabits a Georgian townhouse right bang in the middle of Chester, only moments away from the river.

Chester Cathedral
Chester
Place of worship
Chester Cathedral

Chester Cathedral is a living community of prayer and worship, and a centre of excellence in Church Music with a rich and fascinating heritage.

Chester
Shopping Centre
Chester Rows

Renowned for some of the most elegant shopping streets in the world, Chester Rows has historic appeal and is one of the best of its kind.

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