Dinky Donuts

Underneath the clock, built into the fabric of the city walls, is a very tiny shop, possibly the smallest in Chester. Until relatively recently it was a barber's, but when the barber retired it turned into Dinky Donuts. A great idea, because the smell of freshly-made doughnuts is very attractive after a hard day shopping or sight-seeing, and there are often queues of people waiting for their doughnut. Incidentally, they do sell ice cream from a local farm as well.

See our Chester self-catering serviced apartment at Black Diamond Park

Voir notre appartement meublé avec cuisine situé à Black Diamond Park

Nicholas Street Mews

Nicholas Street Mews were, as their name suggests, mews, or stables, at the back of Nicholas St, for the horses and carriages of the doctors and other professionals that lived on Nicholas St. Usually there would have been carriage houses below and living quarters above, but the name 'mews ' originally meant a place for keeping falcons and other birds for hunting - it comes from the mewing sound that they made. Here the original mews were demolished and this row of houses put in its' place.

See our Chester self-catering serviced apartment at Black Diamond Park

Voir notre appartement meublé avec cuisine situé à Black Diamond Park

Olympic Torch

The Olympic Torch arrived in Chester today, and is resting on the race course tonight, before setting off on the next leg tomorrow morning. Crowds turned out in their thousands to see it.

See our Chester self-catering serviced apartment at Black Diamond Park

Voir notre appartement meublé avec cuisine situé à Black Diamond Park

John Woods Locksmiths

John Woods is on Watergate Street, and, I am told, the shop longest occupied by the same trade in the city centre, and also the oldest locksmith's shop in Britain. In the city archives is an invoice for work done at Chester Castle on the Second Day of December 1595 - cost of mending a locke (sic) for a kitchen door was then 6d (or 2.5p in todays money).

See our Chester self-catering serviced apartment at Black Diamond Park

Voir notre appartement meublé avec cuisine situé à Black Diamond Park

Chester By Night III

Walking back home from a whisky tasting the other evening, I stopped to take this photo looking down the Shropshire Union Canal towards the Steam Mill and Shot Tower - it looks very peaceful.

See our Chester self-catering serviced apartment at Black Diamond Park

Voir notre appartement meublé avec cuisine situé à Black Diamond Park

Chester Races Roman Day 2012

The first Saturday meeting of the year and beautiful weather to boot - what more could anyone want. Well, tickets would be good, as the races were pretty much sold out in all sections. The guy in the pink hat below was a very dodgy-looking ticket tout.

Eastgate Street was jam-packed.

Does his mother know he's gone out looking like this?

The Roman slave girl look was definitely in for women.

I just love this facial adornment (I don't know what else to call it). 

Shaving must take a long time in the mornings.

See our Chester self-catering serviced apartment at Black Diamond Park

Voir notre appartement meublé avec cuisine situé à Black Diamond Park

Cowper House

Cowper House was built in 1664, following the destruction of many buildings in Chester during the Civil War. It was built above undercrofts dating from 1350–75, or possibly earlier. Alterations have been made to the building in the 19th and 20th centuries. Thomas Cowper had been mayor of Chester in 1641–42 and a Royalist supporter in the Civil War. You can see the inscription TC 1664 on the front of the building. The rear undercroft was excavated in 1839, after having been buried for centuries, and it is thought that the front undercroft is older than that in the rear. This is the only remaining undercroft in Chester where the lie of the land allowed a window in the rear wall, and one of only five with stone vaults.

See our Chester self-catering serviced apartment at Black Diamond Park

Voir notre appartement meublé avec cuisine situé à Black Diamond Park

Fountains Roundabout

If you stop and ask for directions in Chester, particularly to the north of the city, the person giving them will often begin by saying 'You know the fountains roundabout...'. This is deeply confusing for strangers because, whilst the fountains are there, usually they are not working. So here is a photo of them in action, and a reassurance that they are at the junction of Northgate St, Upper Northgate St, St Martin's Way, and St Oswald's Way. OK?

See our Chester self-catering serviced apartment at Black Diamond Park

Voir notre appartement meublé avec cuisine situé à Black Diamond Park

Ring O'Bells Christleton

Christleton has three pubs, and the best is probably the Ring O'Bells. It has won many awards, is family friendly, and has a farmers market in its car park every second Saturday of the month. You can find out more about it here: http://www.ringobellschester.co.uk/

See our Chester self-catering serviced apartment at Black Diamond Park

Voir notre appartement meublé avec cuisine situé à Black Diamond Park

Philharmonic Dining Rooms - Gents

Back in Liverpool last night to see The Artist at the Philharmonic, we went for a drink at the Dining Rooms afterwards, and I took the chance to ask a stray Hungarian to photograph the Gents toilets for me. They are billed as 'the only grade II* listed Gents in the UK', I don't know whether this is true, but they certainly are spectacular, and a tourist attraction in their own right.

See our Chester self-catering serviced apartment at Black Diamond Park

Voir notre appartement meublé avec cuisine situé à Black Diamond Park

St James, Christleton

Christleton church is dedicated to St James and the current building was designed by William Butterfield and was consecrated in 1877. The church's continuous list of clergy dates back to 1215. You can see in the photo how the church looks as if it is sinking into the ground - not so, it is the number of burials in the churchyard that mean that the ground level around the church is rising.

See our Chester self-catering serviced apartment at Black Diamond Park

Voir notre appartement meublé avec cuisine situé à Black Diamond Park

Christleton - Best Kept Village

In 2011 Christleton, on the outskirts of Chester, won the title of 'Best Kept Village in Cheshire'. They are rightly proud if this, and display the sign on the village green for all to see. The other photo is of the village green from the opposite end, including the village pump and pump house.

See our Chester self-catering serviced apartment at Black Diamond Park

Voir notre appartement meublé avec cuisine situé à Black Diamond Park

Liverpool Anglican Cathedral

Last, but not least, the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral was also open for Light Night, and had a series of events on. I have always found the neo-gothic of the Anglican Cathedral a little odd, considering it was completed in 1978, but I found myself warming to it a little because of the welcome and inclusiveness of the event, in complete contrast to the Catholic Cathedral on the same night.

See our Chester self-catering serviced apartment at Black Diamond Park

Voir notre appartement meublé avec cuisine situé à Black Diamond Park

Liverpool Philharmonic Dining Rooms

Even though it was not officially open for Light Night, no visit to Liverpool would be complete without a trip to the Philharmonic Dining Rooms (usually known as 'the Phil'), and the Grade II* listed gents toilets.

See our Chester self-catering serviced apartment at Black Diamond Park

Voir notre appartement meublé avec cuisine situé à Black Diamond Park

Liverpool St George's Hall

Also open for the Light Night was St George's Hall. For anyone who hasn't been there this is, I think, one of the most bizarrely-conceived buildings I have ever come across. I can see that building rows of holding cells in the basement, then putting two courtrooms on top of them seems reasonable, but just who thought of putting a dance floor, complete with organ, between the courtrooms?

See our Chester self-catering serviced apartment at Black Diamond Park

Voir notre appartement meublé avec cuisine situé à Black Diamond Park

Liverpool Light Night

Yesterday evening was Light Night in Liverpool, when various museums and public buildings stay open late and have special events. We took advantage of this opportunity to visit Liverpool Town Hall - an amazing building, with two ballrooms and a balcony for accepting the adulation of the hoi polloi.

See our Chester self-catering serviced apartment at Black Diamond Park

Voir notre appartement meublé avec cuisine situé à Black Diamond Park

Ancient Trees

There are many ancient trees dotted around Cheshire. This one is in the grounds of Christleton High School, and I am told that it was already a fully grown tree when Henry VIII was on the throne.

See our Chester self-catering serviced apartment at Black Diamond Park

Voir notre appartement meublé avec cuisine situé à Black Diamond Park

St John's Church - Details

One of the best things about St John's is the wealth of small details, each of them beautiful in themselves.

See our Chester self-catering serviced apartment at Black Diamond Park

Voir notre appartement meublé avec cuisine situé à Black Diamond Park

St John's Church - Skeleton Memorial

Inside the church there is an unusual memorial to Diana Warburton. Dated 1693, it was designed by Edward Pearce, a pupil of Sir Christopher Wren.

See our Chester self-catering serviced apartment at Black Diamond Park

Voir notre appartement meublé avec cuisine situé à Black Diamond Park

Christleton Pit

Christleton is a small village just outside Chester, and just on the edge of Christleton, at Little Heath, is The Pit. Originally created by extracting sand, gravel, or clay, there was also a brick works here and the bricks were highly prized. Nowadays it is far more peaceful, and a haven for local wildlife. You can read more about it here: http://www.christleton.org.uk/christleton/pit.html

See our Chester self-catering serviced apartment at Black Diamond Park

Voir notre appartement meublé avec cuisine situé à Black Diamond Park

Chester Half Marathon 2012

Today was the first Chester Half Marathon over a new course, and with a record 5,000 entries. The winner, Robert Baker, is shown below. For anyone who is interested Joe did an excellent time, for him, of around 1 hour 27 mins, his best ever for Chester, and second in his age category.

First Male Robert Baker

First Female Emma Parry

...and Joe

See our Chester self-catering serviced apartment at Black Diamond Park

Voir notre appartement meublé avec cuisine situé à Black Diamond Park