Enjoying retirement
In The Red Rose County
York or Chester? This visit confirmed that Chester is the best of the best in terms of historic cities. But first a slight digression. We all know how our towns and cities have been disfigured by ugly concrete carparks. Well it needn't be so. Stratford upon Avon has a car park which although concrete has so much greenery growing on its various levels that it quite hides what's going on inside. And here are two very modern examples spotted from our train as it was pulling in to Manchester Victoria where the planners have gone for some imaginative solutions. Bravo. The train journey to get to Chester through the flat plains around Warrington and Newton le Willows was uninspiring to say the least, but once in Chester your soul is lifted by the range and quantity of architecture. We started at the famous clock hanging over Eastgate. Some people may look down their noses at the signs sported by modern chain stores but I think it is all rather well done. Good on you Chester planners. Wherever you go in Chester you must look up.... We were on our way to visit the cathedral. Someone had recently left a note on Trip Adviser saying don't visit, there is nothing inside to see. What drivel. Don't ever let negative reviews put you off without finding out for yourself. The surroundings were lovely. The ironwork on one of the doors was interesting. Inside, if there was nothing else, there would be the huge range of monuments of all ages to fascinate and arouse interest. The cloisters and chapter house were very atmospheric..... and all enclosing a pretty garden which didn't appear open to the public unfortunately. In our historic cathedrals and churches you have to look down as well as up....... We quickly found the oldest Norman part of the building in the North West tower but all the major styles of medieval English architecture are here. we were both particularly taken with this group, a near-life size Nativity scene.......... and medieval craftsmanship was everywhere to be seen in the woodwork...... At one point we moved from First Elizabethan..... to Second Elizabethan. I didn't realise, until Frances pointed it out, that this group is made up of a mosaic of computer keyboard tiles. Wonderful imagination I think. We had a tea, Earl Grey naturally, with a snack, in the Thirteenth century monks' dining hall..... Chester was as brilliant as any other cathedral we have visited. What a cretin that reviewer was. We were now to make our way to the walls, two miles in length, and a great bit of exercise. On the way we spotted the old facade of 'Westminster Coach Motor Car Works'. We then came across a side street which no-one else was using, and what a privilege it was to walk down its Georgian length away from the crowds. We joined the walls at the water tower (Chester was once a strategic port). All the way along the wall walk there are informative signs which are a cut above the normal. Talking of water, we passed above Thomas Telford's warehouse, the brick building here, and we must investigate this another time. Currently a lot of renovation of the walls, which are Roman in origin, is taking place, and you can see why when you consider the soft red sandstone here......sometimes our medieval ancestors used Roman tombstones and altars to patch up various bits of wear. We didn't actually see any examples. Must look harder. It is pretty astonishing what you see from the walls. Here the old infirmary (now part of the Girls' School next door?) This Georgian house looks as if it is being gradually pushed down into the ground. Most odd. I suspect that the road level has risen over time...... The racecourse is laid out before you. What a fantastic view of the finishing straight you would get on race days. We just couldn't resist coming off the walls to visit The Architect pub where we sat on the garden terrace with refreshments. What a really lovely place this was. And inside was special too. Huge book and picture-lined walls and I think I counted at least half a dozen beautiful dining rooms each with its own character. Next time this is where we will book our meal. Menu unusual and prices reasonable....what more could you ask. Resuming our walls walk we came across the castle, quite impressive but although owned by English Heritage (in other words you and me) it is very rarely open. A great pity. We walked close to what were obviously the castle stables. You can see the Norman keep too. Here is what was obviously at one time a watergate... More desirable side streets were followed by a stretch alongside the river - the Dee of course. and you pass just above the Roman Gardens. We ended up at the cathedral once more and strolled around town in a leisurely way..... Wherever there were empty premises (here Debenhams) the Council had done its upmost to ensure the street scene wasn't affected. Well done again. But in truth, considering the awful times we have been through, Chester gave the appearance of continuing prosperity and renewal. There were only a small number of empty premises all through the city.... and the cafes and restaurants were still taking big advantage of the expansion of outdoor eating we have seen. It all added to the vibrant atmosphere. This unprepossessing row of houses turned out to be very interesting, particularly in view of the recent trips we have made to Saltaire and Port Sunlight. Here was a town centre example of an entrepeneur looking after his workforce. The houses were built for the employees of Brown's Department store (as was). Very nice too. There seemed to be more snickleways than in York. I'd love to write a book about them. Life's too short. I was really pleased to see that Waterstones was on the upper level of The Rows, as last time we came The Rows seemed to be quite run down. This time, not a bit of it. For ex-shopkeepers like us this was a great thing to behold........... Oddfellows Hall....we caught a glimpse of huge chandeliered rooms inside. Another deserted street in the city centre just waiting to be explored. A particularly pleasant snickleway...... and looking at shop windows is not without its own pleasures. We were both cheered by this display. An early dinner was booked at The Ship on the other side of the river. After that home. We were entertained on all of the journey home by a voluble and happy Irishman who was insisting we try his whiskey. As the News of The World reporters used to say 'we declined his offer'. This man had definitely kissed the Blarney Stone.......
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August 2023
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