God's Providence House

The name of this building comes from the motto emblazoned across the front - 'Gods Providence is Mine Inheritance', and it was probably put there in thanks for the owners being spared from an outbreak of plague that took place in the city in the 1600s. You can read more about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God's_Providence_House

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English in Chester

I walked past the door of English in Chester the other day and noticed that it had been painted in a new colour. You can also see the stained glass panels, and the Minton tiled floor, both typical of that style of building in the Chester area. You can find out more about English in Chester here: http://www.english-in-chester.co.uk/

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Bishop Lloyd's Palace - Coats of Arms

My eye was caught by these recently repainted Coats of Arms on the frontage of Bishop Lloyd's Palace. I can spot the Bishop's Mitre, a pineapple (but it could be a lobster), and the Legs of Man, but what is the the black thing dangling above them?

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Roof Terraces I

During the summer, there are a couple of places in Chester that have roof terraces where you can have a drink or a bit to eat and while away the hours. This one is at Oddfellows, at the top of lower Bridge St.

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Linenhall Stables

Once upon a time, not very long ago, the stables for horses running at Chester Races were at the Linenhall. They have now moved to somewhere more convenient, but the signs are still up at what is now just a car park.

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4-28 Nicholas Street

These Georgian town houses were built in 1781 to the design of the architect Joseph Turner. The terrace was known as 'pill-box promenade' because many of the houses were occupied by doctors.

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On the Walls V

These marks on the wall are at the end of Bedward Row, and show the boundary between Trinity Parish (TP) and St Michaels's Parish (SMP).

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Kaleyard's Gate

The Kaleyard's Gate used to be the only legal opening in the Walls other than the main gates, and had to be locked at 9pm every evening. This carried on until a few years ago, but is now, sadly, a defunct custom. The Kaleyards, incidentally, were where the monks grew their vegetables, back in the day when what is now a Cathedral was a Monastery.

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Cygnets

The other day I spotted a pair of swans with their five cygnets, a welcome sight. When I was a girl we used to stop in Chester to feed the swans, and there were hundreds of them. Their numbers were decimated because they were poisoned by the lead weights used by anglers. These have now been banned, but the numbers don't seem to be recovering very quickly at all.

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Sweet Peas

The sweet peas, with their beautiful scent have been out for a couple of weeks now. As long as I keep cutting them, they keep flowering.

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Cathedral Precinct

Recently the Cathedral have put in an application to change the Cathedral Precinct at the front, where it meets St Werburgh St, replacing all the grass with paving stones. This has not been popular, and in an effort to persuade us all to like the idea a little better they have put in a couple of sample blocks of paving in front of the Cathedral, to show us what it would look like. I am still not convinced, how do you feel about it?

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Brook St Mural

On Brook St a new mural was unveiled last week. It was designed by artist Gary Drostle, and went through several stages of consultation which you can read about here:
http://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/microsites/chester_renaissance/a_changing_city/brook_street_mural/design_development.aspx
I really like the result, and, when I'm walking past, often catch other people standing admiring it.

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White Friars Cottage

At the rear of White Friars Cottage is the plaque shown below, but I have been unable to find out any more about it. What happened to the remains and where are they? One of life's unsolved mysteries...

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The Cheese Shop

The Cheese Shop is on Northgate St, and I have seen it described as the best cheese shop outside London. Certainly Carole, the owner, is passionate about cheese and the shop has its' own cellar to ensure correct maturation. They have a website here:
www.chestercheeseshop.co.uk

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Abbey Gateway Window

The Abbey Gateway has a window above it, with a room behind it. Legend has it that a young wife had arranged a secret tryst with her lover in that room, glanced out of the window, and saw her husband heading across the square, straight towards them. She waited until he had passed underneath the archway and was heading up the stairs to the room, then opened the window and jumped. Her full skirts billowed out like a parachute, she landed safely on the ground, and ran away. Legend does not add what happened to either the lover or the husband...

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Abbey Gateway

The Abbey Gateway is very old, and was definitely not built for high-sided vehicles. Recently there have been a rash of them getting stuck, with attendant damage to the Gateway. No sooner is the damage fixed than it happens again.

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Radio Shack

On Northgate Street there is a Radio Shack, and Jack, shown behind the counter, does a fine job of fixing all the broken mobile phones that are brought to him every day.

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The Chester Grosvenor

The Grosvenor is the only 5 star hotel in Chester and has a Michelin-starred restaurant. It is also the best place to go in Chester to take afternoon tea.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_Grosvenor_and_Spa

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St Nicholas's Chapel

Facing onto both St Werburgh and Northgate Streets is a building that was once St Nicholas's Chapel. Built in about 1300 it has been reincarnated through many different uses, and is currently occupied by Superdrug. When it was being used as a Music Hall it gave its' name to Music Hall Passage, which runs alongside.

 

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Music Hall Passage

There is a covered lane which runs between St Werburgh St and Northgate St, called Music Hall Passage, because the red sandstone building on the left of the photo was once a Music Hall (and many other things as well, of which more later).

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Westminster Coach and Motor Car Works

Originally for constructing and later for displaying and selling cars, the building shown below is now used as the Public Library, but retains its' original facade.

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Go to www.foy.co.uk for RICS HomeBuyers software

Sweet Shops

A rash of old-fashioned sweet shops have opened up in Chester recently, but the one in St Werburgh St has been going the longest and has a great selection of memories from my childhood. They have a website at www.theoldsweetshopchester.co.uk

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St Mary's Hill

My son used to go to St Mary's Nursery when he was small, which is at the top of a very steep cobbled hill. In those days you could drive down it (and we did, at least once)- extremely dangerous if there was any ice or snow - but now the council have blocked it off with bollards.

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City Rd Presbyterian Church

At the end of City Rd (the road leading from the station) nearest to the city centre is a Presbyterian Church in a listed building. From their website:
The congregation consists of 32 families with over 60 persons of all ages claiming a connection to us.
but it seems a huge building for that size of congregation, and must be a little under-used.

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Bettws-y-Coed

Bettws-y-Coed (or Betws, it gets spelt both ways) is pronounced Bettoos uh coyd. The y-Coed part is the Welsh for 'in the woods', and it is surrounded by greenery, with a sparkling river forming some large and some small waterfalls, such as this one. Bettws is also the local mecca for outdoor and camping shops.

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The Brewery Tap

The Brewery Tap is a relatively new pub on Bridge St, based in an old building, Gamul House. The main room of the pub is the former Great Hall of the house, where King Charles I is known to have stayed during the Civil War.
You can read more about it here: www.the-tap.co.uk/gamul-house/
The name the Brewery Tap comes from it being the nearest outlet for a brewery's beers. Usually this is a bar in the brewery itself, but in this case it is the nearest pub to the Spitting Feathers Brewery.

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The Chester Hangman

At the end of City Road, where is joins Boughton, there is a pub called the Chester Hangman. Upstairs, though, it turns into a club with a thriving music scene, and where Friday nights are the place to be if you are a local goth. And if you fancy being a performer yourself, then there is an Open Mic night on Mondays. http://www.chesterhangman.co.uk/

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Viking Chester I

Although we think of Chester as a Roman settlement, actually in about 900AD it was in an extremely important trading position, as it was where Danelaw met Mercia and Wales (see map), and there is evidence of a sizeable Viking settlement in Bridge St.  The photo below shows St Olave (or Olaf) Street, around where the Vikings would largely have been based.

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The City Club

The City Club is one of those mysterious organisations that seems to exist pretty much to further the drinking habits of its' members. Many owners of small businesses in and around the city centre go there at lunchtimes to socialise, to pass work on to each other, and sometimes even to arrange mergers. The building is tucked away in St Peters Churchyard, between St Peters and the Commercial Hotel.

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Grosvenor Park - Open Air Theatre

In Grosvenor Park there is, as there was last summer, an open air theatre, with performances of As You Like It and Merlin alternating. They have received good reviews,  and you can read more about it (and book tickets!) here: http://www.grosvenorparkopenairtheatre.co.uk/

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