Chester is 2,000 years old, and almost every building, street and monument reflects the rich backdrop of England's history.

Fortress and Port

The ancient settlement started out as the important Roman legionary fortress of Deva, safe in its loop of the River Dee.

When the Romans left, three centuries later, the Saxons extended the walls down to the river to create a fortified town, or burh, against marauding Danes.

Following the Norman conquest of 1066, the first Earl of Chester built Chester Castle to dominate the Welsh border. By the Middle Ages, the city walls bristled with defensive towers and fortified gates. Until the estuary silted up, Chester was the largest trading port in northern England; and global trading brought affluence and influence to the city.

War and Peace During the English Civil War, in the 1640s, loyal Chester was besieged by Parliamentary forces. But with the return of peace, elegant Georgian terraces and squares sprang up.

The Industrial Revolution brought further prosperity along with new roads, the railway and canal; and Chester's Victorian prosperity saw the Cathedral (left) and Rows restored and the construction of the magnificent Gothic Town Hall (right).