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Chester City Walls

Chester is the only city in Great Britain that preserves the entire circuit of its walls, which are regarded as the oldest, longest and most complete in the country. The wall walk is about 2.95 kilometres long, or a little over three if you go all the way round the city. The Romans began building them around AD 74-75, with the fortress of Deva Victrix, and from the year 100 they rebuilt them in sandstone. Æthelflæd refounded the city in 907 and the walls were repaired; after the Norman Conquest they were extended to the west and south, and the medieval circuit was complete by about 1162. The four main gates are Northgate, Eastgate, Watergate and Bridgegate; the Eastgate carries the Victorian clock and the Bridgegate was rebuilt with a wider arch in 1781. The Water Tower, from 1322, stands in the north-west corner beside the River Dee, and the King Charles' Tower is in the north-east corner. There are gaps: the Shipgate was demolished in 1808-1810 and the ring road of the 1960s opened up another, bridged by the St Martin's Gate footbridge.

Things to do at Chester City Walls: 3 missions

• Cross the Bridgegate and look at its archGo to the south gate, beside the river, and look at the wide arch of 1781 that replaced the medieval gate.
• Find the Water Tower by the DeeFollow the west stretch to the north-west corner and find the 14th-century Water Tower and the wall that links it to Bonewaldesthorne's Tower. Take in the gardens next to it.
• Reach King Charles' TowerWalk to the north-east corner, near Northgate, and see the tower. According to tradition, Charles I watched one of his army's defeats from there.

Near Chester City Walls

Source: Web oficial - Visit Chester