Chester: The Wall 1

I've had to divide this into two posts. It was so big that I couldn't upload the post.

What to say about Chester? Amazing city. Right now, sitting here trying to write about it, I am speechless. So many impressions. So much to see and process. I don’t really know where to start. So I will start with boring things to get my brain going.

We drove from Talacre into Chester, about a 15—20 minute drive. Sunday before Remembrance day. We parked the car and started to walk to places that Kahless wanted to show me.

This was my introduction to Chester.

The Bridge of Sighs

Seems like every city has one. In this instance, according to the Chester Chronicle:

“THIS little bridge can be seen at the top of Northgate Street where the road crosses the canal.

It was installed in 1793 by Joseph Turner so that prisoners from the jail could cross what is now the canal to the chapel to receive their last rights before execution.

Using the main road to transport the condemned men provided too much opportunity for escape. The bridge itself had iron railings to prevent suicide attempts.

The Bridge of Sighs today is an inaccessible object of curiosity as the jail and chapel have gone.”

http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/chester-information/chester-attractions/2001/07/09/the-bridge-of-sighs-59067-11143708/

It is right next door to The Blue Coat Hospital where poor boys were sent to be educated. For some reason it was called a hospital but it was really a school.

“Founded in 1700, Blue Coat was a school for young boys whose parents did not have enough money to send them to regular boarding school. It was a school that promoted religion and learning. The boys were fed and learned their four ‘R’s’: “reading, riting, rithmetic and religion.” The boarding school closed in 1949 only later to be acquired by the University of Chester as a history department. “

http://realtravel.com/chester-journals-j3671405.html

 

Looking down

How excellent is that, hey? Roman walls.

Then we climbed up some stairs and looking down, this is what I saw.

 

I hope this gives the idea of how far down it was. If this doesn’t, the next one will !!

Damn it was a loooong way down !!

I am walking along Roman made walls, looking down on the city of Chester. Now this is a first for me. When was the last time you did something for the first time. On Sunday, the 9th November 2008 I walked along a Roman made structure !!

This was our route on the wall. The black arrow was where we started and the black line shows where we walked. Oh, I really do like my technology !!

The red line around the city shows the extent of the wall. On Monday, before my train, I picked up a bit more of the wall. That’s another story.

This sign tells a bit about the Roman walls. I love taking photos of signs. They help me work out where I was at any point in time, helps remember place names and how they were spelled as well as gives information.

Some of these walls I was walking on date back to AD, and have been added to and taken away from over the years.

You may have to zoom in to read the writing.

This is what the path looked like on the wall. Hey, guys, I’m walking along a wall that was originally built in Roman times. How kewl is that !!

At this spot, there are stone walls on both sides of us. Later, there is only one. For some reason, I didn’t have too much trouble with the height. Read what I eventually write about the aqueduct when I get to that !!

There is constant moss and plants growing from the gaps.

There were some shops along this part of the wall. We stopped in an old bookshop, with a long bearded man, and some really old books. I was tempted by a couple but as usual, thought about my luggage going home and the weight of books.

On the other side of that wall is a sheer drop for I don’t know how far. But a long, long way down.

As we get a bit further along, the second wall disappears and we are looking down on the Cathedral. And that will be another possible post. I’m not sure if I’m going to write about the cathedral.

The pigeons sheltering along the wall, staying warm and out of the wind and cold.

Stay tuned. Chester: The Wall 2 will be here shortly

Madeleine

Wednesday, 12 November 2008