Greg Russell and Ciaran Algar II

Well, after blogging about them here last June and July, Greg and Ciaran went and won the Radio 2 Young Folk Artists of the Year Award last night. Congratulations to both of them, and please keep gigging around Chester, guys. Oh, and you should buy their CD, the Queens Lover.

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Leaky Roof

The Cathedral, I am told, has a large deficit in its' finances, and it is definitely starting to show. Repairs that should have been carried out some time ago have been put on hold, and the result is that leaks and cracks are starting to appear. When I went in to look at the Tudor House a section of the cloisters was roped off, due to falling masonry, and you could see the damp spreading all down the wall. They have envelopes for you to give money for upkeep, and, if you are a UK taxpayer, add Gift Aid relief. You can also donate here: http://www.justgiving.com/ccdt

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Tudor Inn

Three friends from Hawarden have made a perfect scale model of a traditional Tudor inn, almost entirely from reclaimed and recycled materials, which is now on display in the Chapter House at Chester Cathedral. And, even better, it is now free to enter the Cathedral, so you can go and have a look. It is only on display until February 15th, so hurry up!

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Welsh Mountains

When there is snow, the welsh mountains loom a little larger over Chester, as it is where we all go for sledging, Moel Famau being especially popular. The photo below was taken from Hoole, and makes the mountains look tantalisingly close.

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Chinese New Year

Chester has a small Chinese community, and they are holding New Year Celebrations on the 10th February, for the year of the snake. There will also be a festival parade and workshops, including calligraphy and dragon making, in the Town Hall on the 16th February. You can find out more here: http://wahlei.org

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Forest House

The Forest House is on Love Street, and was built in c1759 as the town house of Trafford Barnston. His grandson, Roger, served in the Crimea and died from his wounds at Lucknow, Northern India, in 1857, so ending the Barnston connection with this fine building. There is a blue plaque on the side of the building which commemorates his father, also called Roger Barnston, who was High Sheriff of Cheshire in 1800, and who entertained the Duke of Wellington at the Forest House in 1817.

The Forest House is the central block of one of Chester's finest surviving Georgian buildings. The large oval courtyard and iron gates at the front were removed in the early 1900s to make way for the Chester Co-op department store. The building was designed after the style of Sir Robert Taylor. Appointed architect to the Bank of England, in 1764, and later Architect of the King's Works, Taylor left his fortune to Oxford University.

Only the central block now remains. During the 19th century it was used as auction rooms, then a furniture depository, and following which it was used as a night club. Now it is a Wetherspoons pub, and anyone can go in to look around.

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Off The Wall

Off The Wall is a pub in St John Street. It has plenty of screens for watching sports; a pool table; poker nights; karaoke; and has an enormous floor area. Definitely not my kind of pub, but popular with some.

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Dukes Drive Gates

The entrance to Dukes Drive is marked with ornate wrought iron gates, which were built by Swindley’s of Handbridge, who also constructed the ironwork for Chester’s famous Eastgate Clock. The gates themselves are Grade II listed, and I have never seen the central section opened.

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Chester College Chapel

Chester College Chapel stands in the ground of what was Chester College, and is now the University of Chester. The chapel was added between 1844 and 1847. It was was designed by the Manchester architect J. E. Gregan, and its construction was assisted by the students of the college, who helped to quarry and carve the stone, to carve the woodwork, and to work with the stained glass. Staff and students attend services, and some of them even get married here.

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Hoptons

With all the publicity about supermarkets meat problems, I congratulated myself on not having bought meat from a supermarket for over 20 years. One of the main reasons for this is Hoptons, in Hoole. An old-fashioned family-run butchers, their meat is top quality, and they do all the butchery on the premises themselves. When I have wanted a non-standard item (e.g. some older free-range chickens for coq au vin), they have been delighted to have a challenge and sourced them for me with ease. Almost all the meat is local, and traceable, and at Christmas there was a queue 100 metres long, whilst another butcher, directly opposite, languished with no customers. Highly recommended.

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...Let It Snow

Someone at the Cathedral obviously had a bright idea, and sent three of their girl choristers out into the snow to have their photographs taken. Next years' christmas card, maybe?

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...Let It Snow...

Many of the shops in the city centre were closed today, and even the smokers had abandoned their outdoor posts in front of Duttons in Godstall Lane. Obviously the tattoo parlour was open, but I felt really sorry for the guy they sent out to advertise it.

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Let It Snow...

For the first time in a couple of years we have snow in Chester - and it's sticking! I have seen the first sledge being towed somewhere, and our local school has evidence of some snowball fights. No snowmen as yet, though - just this lonely-looking rhino.

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New Scene Centre

The New Scene Centre stands on Lime Wood fields, and is used for a variety of activities, primarily for under-18s, but also including arts, drama, and disabled group activities. For example, one group meeting there is Deva Flamenco, who are aimed at all ages.

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Overleigh Lodge

Overleigh Lodge stands at the entrance to Dukes Drive, and is a grade II listed building. The original lodge was a very elaborate building, with watch towers, and the guards/gatekeepers were soldiers who were resident there. This was replaced by the current building in the early 20th century, which is now a private residence.

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Dukes Drive

Dukes drive was originally the main entrance to the Grosvenor Estate, before the drive was bisected by Chester bypass, and a new drive was carved out on the Wrexham Road. Nowadays, Dukes Drive is mainly used by dog walkers, interspersed with the odd runner. A haven of peace and calm for wildlife, it is about two miles long and leads, essentially, to nowhere.

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Cheshire Lines Committee

The Cheshire Lines Committee was responsible for bringing the railway to Chester, although, despite the name, the majority of its' lines were in Lancashire. It was the second largest joint railway in Britain, with 153 miles of track. In Chester there were two termini, the one still extant and a second called the Northgate, in the position now occupied by Northgate Arena. The sign seen below is on one of the railway bridges over the line, which has now been turned into a cycleway.

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Birkenhead Park

Birkenhead Park was the first publicly funded civic park in Britain, and is generally acknowledged as the design template for Central Park in New York. The park lies in two halves, each with a small lake, and is mainly surrounded by what would have been, in the past, mansions (I suspect some are subdivided today). At this time of year the Canada geese are in residence, and give you a warm welcome if you come bearing food.

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Coniston Arts & Crafts House

On Newton Lane there lies a house named Coniston (sorry to anyone who thought this might be about the Lake District). It was built by a master stonemason, H. A. Clegg, who made many of the monuments in Overleigh Cemetery, including his own, and he, and, later, his family, lived here until 1920. This is one of the very few Arts & Crafts style houses around Chester, and was originally surrounded by nursery gardens within the Kilmorey Estate.

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Limewood Fields

Limewood Fields are in Hoole, and provide an open green space for local residents. There are a couple of football pitches, and a square of concrete for parking a roller for a potential cricket pitch (although the fields are not well-drained and have been too muddy for most games this year), but the fields are mostly used by dog-walkers, congregating in the early mornings, and cyclists, passing through on their way to other places.

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Nine Houses

Originally there were nine houses, but now there are only six, but they are still called the Nine Houses, got it? The houses are the only surviving pre-16th-century almshouses in Chester, and were built in about 1650. They are in Park Street, and would have been on the edge of the pleasure gardens behind Park House in Lower Bridge Street.

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Shipgate House

This townhouse, at 2 Shipgate Street, probably dates from the 17th century, although only the basement and the rear part of the house survive from then, the rest of the property was rebuilt around the middle of the 18th century. Shipgate House and the adjacent cottage were purchased by Cheshire County Council in 1963, with the intention of demolishing them and using the site for County Hall expansion. Fortunately the Civic Trust put up fierce opposition, and Shipgate House was substantially restored 1971-74.

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Monkey Puzzling

On Brook Lane there are a number of monkey puzzle trees in front gardens, and someone, for a reason best known to themselves, has begun adorning one of them with toy monkeys.

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Vintage Car Rally

Yesterday there was a rally of vintage cars through the city centre. All the owners are members of Chester Vintage Enthusiasts Car Club, and meet at the Cheshire View in Christleton on the second Tuesday of each month. You can read more about them here: http://chestervintage.org.uk/

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33 Eastgate Street

A classical stone building, built in Eastgate Street in 1860 at the height of the black-and-white revival. How did they get away with doing it? Originally it was the Chester Bank, and they were keen to introduce a metropolitan character to the city. This was to be their prestigious headquarters, and they did not want to have to incorporate the Rows into their design. Despite opposition they gained planning approval by offering a strip of adjoining land to allow widening of St Werburgh Street.

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Park House

A Georgian town house, built around 1717, for Elizabeth Booth, on Lower Bridge Street. It had two acres of parkland behind it, and, when the house became the Albion Hotel in 1818, that area became Chester's first public pleasure gardens, stretching all the way down to the city walls at what is now the Albion pub. They contained extensive flower gardens and a bowling green. The grounds closed in 1865, when Grosvenor Park was being created, and working class terraced houses were built on it. The Duke of Wellington stayed at the Hotel in 1820.

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Dogs in Pubs

Don't leave your dog at home, there are some pubs locally that accept them (as long as they are well-behaved). Amongst those are the Bear & Billet, the Pied Bull, the Harkers Arms (but ask first), and the Albion (but only in one room). All of them serve meals as well, so there's no excuse!

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King Street II

King Street, once known as Barn Lane, follows a medieval track dating back to the 13th century or earlier, which led from the Abbey of St Werburgh to the monks barn in 'The Crofts'. Many of the houses on this street are 18th century.

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