|
|
|
Chester CastleChester, Cheshire The castle is on the southwest side of the city bounded by the city walls. It stands on a mound overlooking the River Dee. Only remains of walls and the original gateway of the medieval castle can be seen today, this 12th-century tower houses a chapel with exceptionally fine wall-paintings of c. 1220. The castle was built in 1070 by Hugh Lupus, the first Earl of Chester. The original would have been a motte-and-bailey castle with a wooden tower. The wooden tower being replaced with a square stone one in the 12th century, at the same time the stone gateway to the inner bailey was built. This is known as the Agricola Tower and on its first floor is the chapel of St Mary de Castro. During the 13th century the walls of an outer bailey was built and the tower was blocked up to allow for residential accommodation including a great hall. Various additions and modifications have taken place over time. During the English Civil War when Chester was held by the Royalists it was assaulted by the parliamentary forces and following this period it was used as a prison, a court and a tax office. The nearby neoclassical building within the castle grounds is the Crown Court today. By the 18th century much of it had deteriorated and a new prison was built and at this Shire Hall was also built in a neoclassical style. Two new wings were also built to act as barracks and an armoury as well as a new entrance to the castle site called the Propylaeum. In 1925 after being used for 200 years, it's later years as a warehouse and ammunition store the chapel in the tower was reconsecrated for the use of the Cheshire Regiment.
.
Please let us know any other information that we can add to the Further information and Planning Grids or page and any errors that you discover. Before making a long trip to any location it is always wise to double check the current information, websites like magazines may be correct at the time the information is written, but things change and it is of course impossible to double check all entries on a regular basis. If you have any good photographs that you feel would improve the illustration of this page then please let us have copies. In referring to this page it is helpful if you quote the CIN Page Ref at the bottom of the Planning Grid above. To print the planning grid select it then right click and print the selected area. Please submit information on locations you discover so that this system continues to grow.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|