Chester Architecture: Respecting and Adapting
Friends had encouraged me to visit Chester and I was looking forward to the black and white storefronts of the city centre. Somehow it didn’t work out that way. The building facades are lovely, but I found them stagnant and frozen in time.
Perhaps I’ve visited too many other cities with much more impressive Roman ruins (the amphitheater in Tarragona, Spain, is spectacular and there are lovely Roman mosaics in Cordoba and Sevilla), but I would never have identified the short flight of circular stairs in Chester as an amphitheater without the accompanying sign. The Roman Garden had scraps of mosaics and the bases of columns.
There were aspects of Chester’s architecture that impressed me. Walking around the city walls is fun and a great way to view the surrounding area. And it isn’t just a tourist attraction. Lots of locals were using them as the convenient way to walk from place to place.
On my last morning, I happened upon Chester’s industrial past along the Shropshire Union Canal. Far from being a deserted wasteland, the old mills are being transformed into housing, restaurants, and stores. The old buildings retain respect while being adapted for new purposes. This area was the architectural highlight of my short visit to Chester.