Pavement Cafes

A sure sign of spring being in the air is that the pavement cafes are not only set out, but that people sit outside and eat and drink. Today was a beautiful day for doing just that.

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The Miller of The Dee

There was a jolly miller once lived on the river Dee;
He danced and sang from morn till night, no lark so blithe as he;
And this the burden of his song forever used to be: -
"I care for nobody, no not I, if nobody cares for me."

In the background of the photo, the yucky salmon pink block, is where a mill would once have stood, and, who knows, maybe the Miller of the Dee. Find out more here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miller_of_Dee

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The Falcon II

The Falcon became an alehouse, then a temperance cocoa house, then a cafe, then industrial premises before falling into a state of disrepair. A restoration scheme was launched in the 1980s and it became a pub again. Inside the enclosed shop front still remains.  A wattle-and-daub filling is on display behind see-through panels, and shows interwoven hazel or briar branches that were covered with a mix of lime, clay and horse dung.

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Old King's Head II

The Old (or Olde) King's Head on Lower Bridge Street was once the house of Randle Holme, mayor of Chester 1633-4. It was described as a 'new building' in 1633. Four generations of the Holme family worked as Chester heralds and historians during the 17th century, and their heraldic memorial tablets are a feature of many Cheshire churches.

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Courts

Behind many Chester streets there used to lie many small courts and yards, which were demolished in Victorian times due to overcrowding and insanitary conditions. A few were saved, but rebuilt as either offices (such as Heritage Court) or residential (Gloverstone Court).

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Castle Street

This house in Castle Street caught my attention as I was passing. The shutters, when examined closely, look very old, and the whole house has a slightly 'defensive' look. You can also see where older foundations of the red Chester sandstone have been used. There are tales of a poltergeist in this street, but I don't know which property this relates to:
'Poltergeist. Electrician working in Georgian house spooked by objects being moved, and by owner's apparently calm acceptance of supernatural events'

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Old Dee Bridge I

The site of the Old Dee Bridge is thought to mark the point of the first timber structure erected by the Romans to cross the River Dee. Evidence suggests that it may have lain slightly to the east of the position of the current bridge (i.e. nearer towards us in the photo). Once troops and travellers had crossed over to Handbridge they could then march southwards along Watling Street, a main Roman road, or westward through the Saltney marshes through to the North Wales coast.

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