Chester City of tradition

Press, 5 July 1977, Page 23

Chester City of tradition

More and more visitors to Britain are following in the tootsteps of the Romans who. nearly 200(1 years ago. travelled north from London to the undiscovered regions outside the capital city. Like the soldiers of the Twentieth Roman Legion, many of them make the City of Chester their base camp. The former fortress of Deva, on the banks of the River Dee. is rich in tradition and with its castle, cathedral, half-timbered tnns, and attractive architecture, seems to have stepped right out of the history books.

Chester is the only city in England that still possesses its rampart walls almost complete and remains today an outstanding example of a fortified medieval town. Visitors can “walk the walls”—a two-mile circuit—and see the stone towers where keepers once had the duty of levying a toll on all merchandise entering the city. . Chester has historical links with many countries, including America, Denmark, and Canada. The richest example of carved timber in the city is at Bishop Lloyd’s house. From 1604 to 1615. George Lloyd was Bishop of Chester. His eldest daughter was married twice; her first husband was

the grandfather of Elihu Yale, after whom Yale University was named. Her second husband, Theophilus Eaton, went to Boston in 1637 and, in 1639. founded the settlement of New Haven of which be was Governor until 'his death in 1658. During its occupation of England, the Danish army spent the summer of 893 in Chester. In the city’s cathedral, where records date back to 958. there are the Colours of the Cheshire Regiment in which the coffin of General Wolfe was wrapped after the Battle of Quebec, and which was also carried at th. Battle of Bunker Hill. A former abbey of Benedictine monks, which ruled widespread lands for five centuries, the cathedral gives visitors an unrivalled opportunity to appreciate the manner of life and surroundings of the monks. The medieval appearance of Chester Castle was preserved until 1789-1813 when Thomas Harrison’s group of buildings was built. Part of Chester Castle, is now the Cheshire Regimental Museum. It was to Chester Castle that Richard I! was brought as a prisoner and where John Wesley found safe refuge after his preachings met violent opposition in the city. James II worshipped in the early thirteenth century Agricola Tower’s chapel. The Tower is open during the summer months.