Chester

One of the best preserved walled cities in Britain, Chester is located on the River Dee close to the border with Wales in the North of England. The city of now more than 70,000 inhabitants was founded as a Roman fort in the year 79 during the reign of Emperor Vespasian. The city's four main roads follow the routs of the original Roman roads. Chester later became a major settlement of Britannia when Britain fell under Roman rule and was again fortified by the Saxons in the 5th century. Chester was granted city status in 1541. The town was also a major conquest of William the Conqueror, who built a castle that dominated the landscape of the surrounding area. Chester Cathedral and its monasteries, in various parts, are of Norman origin and date from between 1093 and the early 16th century. The Cathedral is the resting place of Werburgh, the patron saint of Chester.

Since 2007 Chester Council have been redeveloping the city in the vision of creating a "must see European destination", with investment of £1.3 billion. The project has been nicknamed the Chester Renaissance. The project is to include a new quarter for Chester with the replacement of various older buildings by a housing, a multi-storey car park, bus station, performing arts centre, and retail developments. Unfortunately much of this new development has been postponed due to economic recession, however a number of smaller Renaissance projects have gone ahead as planned.

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