Chester, ENG - Postcode - CH1 1HT

Description of Chester

Chester, England, is both a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire. Situating on the River Dee, it is very near to the border between England and Wales. To put its 2011 population of 79,645 in perspective, Cheshire West and Chester is a unitary authority with a total population of 329,608. The city also serves as the administrative center of the county. Historic county town and second-largest city in Cheshire, behind Warrington.

In 79 AD, during the reign of Emperor Vespasian, the area now known as Chester was established as a "castrum," or Roman fort, under the name Deva Victrix. Deva was formerly one of the largest Roman military outposts in Britain and is now a thriving city. To defend against the Danes, the Angles fortified the city walls and in 689, King thelred of Mercia established the Minster Church of West Mercia, which became Chester's first cathedral. One of the last English cities to succumb to the Normans, Chester had a fortress built to watch over the city and the border with Wales. During the year 1541, Chester was officially recognized as a city.

Chester's city walls are among the best-preserved in the country and are recognized as a National Historic Landmark. Although the city center is home to a number of medieval structures, many of the black-and-white buildings were restored during the Victorian era as part of the Black-and-white Revival. The walls are nearly finished, save for a 100-meter (330-foot) segment. Significant growth and development occurred in Chester as a result of the introduction of railways, canals, and new roadways brought about by the Industrial Revolution; the Grosvenor Museum and Chester Town Hall are two examples of Victorian architecture from this time period. Economically speaking, the modern world relies heavily on tourism, retail, public administration, and the financial sector. Main entrances to Chester are marked with markers proclaiming the city an International Heritage Site.

Geography of Chester

Chester is located at the end of a Triassic sandstone ridge that spans 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) in length and rises to a height of 42 meters (138 feet) inside a natural S-bend in the River Dee (before the course was altered in the 18th century). The bedrock, also known as the Chester Pebble Beds, is easily identifiable because to the large number of pebbles and other small stones that have been fossilized inside its layers. Where boulder clay was lacking, the land was covered in sand and marl that was deposited by retreating glacial sheet ice.

Tourism, retail, public administration, and finance are currently the primary economic pillars of Chester. Visitors from all over the world come to see the city's historic sites and landmarks, which is great for the city's hospitality industry.

Rows or galleries (two-story stores) may be found in the heart of the city; some of them, including the oldest shop front in England, date back to the Middle Ages.

Many national chains have locations in Chester, and the city also boasts an indoor market, a department store (the former Browns of Chester, now part of the Debenhams brand), and two large indoor shopping centers (the Grosvenor Shopping Centre and the Forum, named after the city's Roman heritage). To the west and south are shopping centers. Both Broughton Retail Park and Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet can be found close to the center of town.

Chester is home to numerous banks and credit unions, including Bank of America, MBNA, NFU Mutual, Lloyds Bank, Virgin Money, Quilter, Diners Club International, and M&S Bank. Over in Ewloe, Wales, the headquarters of moneysupermarket.com may be found. The city of Chester is home to both the University of Chester and the Countess of Chester Hospital, which honors Diana, Princess of Wales and Countess of Chester, with their respective names.

To the north and west of Broughton are food processing industries, and to the west, just across the Welsh border, is a huge Airbus UK factory (previously British Aerospace), employing around 6,000 people who work on the wings of the Airbus aeroplanes. Deeside is home to the Iceland Frozen Foods headquarters.