Edgar's Field

Edgar's Field is over in Handbridge, and was originally the site of a Roman Quarry. The stones quarried were almost certainly used in the construction of Chester. The sandstone outcrop  towards the centre of the park holds the nation's only remaining in-situ Roman shrine, to the goddess Minerva. You should just about be able to make it out in the photos below, and you can tell it is Minerva because of the owl (you need a bit of imagination, mind).

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Smile Day

The third Monday in January is supposed to be the most miserable day of the year, so charitable organisations in Chester are trying do do something about it, by launching Chester Smile Day. There is pizza making, artwork, photography, a hall of mirrors, seaside stock, and a straight face competition on at the Wesleyan Methodist in St John St.

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The Rectory Restaurant

Right opposite the Cathedral, in what used to be the offices of a firm of solicitors, is a restaurant called the Rectory. They have a January special offer, so we thought we would try it. Unfortunately I cannot recommend them - there was a long wait for service, and my food, a vegetable tagine, was distinctly undercooked. In fact the vegetables (aubergine, courgettes and onion) were nearly raw and I couldn't eat it. Coffee was good, and the stuffed peppers were okay, though.

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Clock Cleaning

Yesterday I was walking down Eastgate St, and there was scaffolding up and a cherrypicker out whilst a team of men cleaned and serviced the clock. I kept worrying that they would drop bits of it, but of course they didn't.

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Three Old Arches

The Three Old Arches are thought to be Britain's oldest surviving shop front. You can read more about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Old_Arches
There used to be an interesting food shop and deli downstairs (part of Owen Owen), and it would be great to see something like that there again.

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The Rows - Theories of Origins II

The second theory of the development of the rows is as follows: they evolved to offer the inhabitants better security from potential invaders. This theory suggests that businesses and living accommodations were deliberately built at a higher level joined by linked walkways and accessed by staircases dotted along their length. The staircases could then have been protected by shutters and gates to prevent invaders gaining access to the upper levels, giving inhabitants an extra level of protection (after the city walls and gates). This theory seems less likely - after all, invaders could simply have set fire to the lower levels, since undercrofts were supported by wooden beams, although that would have destroyed much of the value that lay in capturing the city.

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The Rows - Theories of Origins I

No-one really knows why the Rows, which are pretty much unique to Chester (although fragments exist elsewhere, Chester is the only complete surviving structure), came into being. There are two main theories, and the real answer is probably a mixture of the two, but could be something else entirely.
Theory I - the amount of debris and standing remains that still existed from Roman times prevented any sort of extensive building program at or on street level, so mediaeval builders were forced to create a new elevated ground level. It is certain that the Roman buildings were massive - Chester was the largest Roman legionary fortress in Britain, and it is highly likely that some building skills and techniques would have been lost after the Romans left Britain.

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