Chester Town Hall - Magistrates Court

Inside the Town Hall there is a Magistrates Court, which was in use from 1869 to 1991.

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Chester Town Hall

Since the demise of Chester City Council (replaced by Cheshire West and Chester), the Town Hall has really only been used for social functions - you can hire it for weddings, music recitals, etc. If you want, you can wander in and look around between 9am and 5pm on weekdays. These are photos of the main hall:

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Medieval Shoes

I was fascinated by the shoes worn by the pilgrims at the Minstrels Court. They came in two halves, a top leather shoe and a wooden base, or patten, which hinged. I was assured they were very comfortable to wear.

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Hnefatafl

There were some Medieval Games on display at the Minstrels' Court, including this one, probably Viking, or even Roman in origin. You can play it here: http://aagenielsen.dk/hnefatafl_online.php

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Bath Street

The house in Bath St were designed and built by the architect John Douglas, who was responsible for many Chester buildings. You can read more about them here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1%E2%80%9311_and_13_Bath_Street,_Chester

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Minstrels' Court

Yesterday, in St John's Church, there was a revival of the Minstrels' Court, an ancient midsummer gathering of musicians. You can read more about it here:
http://www.pilgrimsandposies.co.uk/minstrels.htm

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Midsummer Watch XI -the End

After the procession all the giants and other larger pieces trundled off, down the hill, back to their home.

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Midsummer Watch X - Hobby Horses, Sun & Jester

This year there was a Jester on Kangaroo Stilts, running at the front of the procession, and two beautifully dressed hobby horses.

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Midsummer Watch IX - Drummers

Traditionally the Midsummer Watch is led by a drummer, and this year she was followed by a band of drummers.

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Midsummer Watch VII - St Werburgh

St Werburgh is the patron saint of Chester, and reputedly brought a goose back to life. You can read the legend here - http://www.pilgrimsandposies.co.uk/st_werburgh.htm

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Midsummer Watch VI - Ravens

Ravens used to build nests on the Cathedral (they always choose tall buildings), and recently they came back and started nesting again. In honour of that fact they were added to the Midsummer Watch procession.

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