{England Travel}

With a 2001 population of 77,000, Chester is located on the River Dee in the northwest part of England, not far from Wales and Liverpool. Chester is one of the best preserved walled cities in England, with the city walls almost entirely complete with only two short breaks.

The city was a significant center during the Roman Empire, and there are many extant reminders of that era such as the amphitheater and Roman Garden. Being strategically close to Wales and the Irish Sea, Chester was a major trading center and port until Liverpool established itself and took over.

There is much architecture from medieval times to be enjoyed, and although the city has experienced a lot of development since World War II, and the city center saw considerable change, there has been a more recent emphasis on conservation. The city center is now a combination of many pleasing styles, including Victorian and medieval. The area known as the Rows is a shopping area that features a group of medieval style half-timbered buildings that are joined with long galleries. Walk along Eastgate, Bridge Street or Watergate to see the best examples of this. There are also some fine examples of Victorian architecture, such as the Chester Town Hall and the award-winning Grosvenor Museum.

Of course no visit to Chester would be complete without a walk along the city walls, which were constructed from as early as 120 A.D. Also not to be missed is the Norman Castle which dates from 1069 and was rebuilt in the late 1700s. And check out the extraordinary Eastgate Clock, an ornate metal structure which was built in 1897 in celebration of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.

The city of Chester is currently embarked on an ambitious 10 year plan designed to make Chester a "must see European destination". Kicked off in 2007, the city has earmarked £1.3 billion to what it has nicknamed the Chester Renaissance.

By: Alyssa Mendell

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