Chester

an ancient English city six miles on the road from Liverpool to London. It stands on a sandstone hill. It is laid out in the form of an oblong, and is surrounded by a wall of sandstone blocks seven feet in thickness and wide enough on top for two or three persons to walk abreast. Chester is one of the few English cities where the old medieval walls are still practically in complete repair. The name is from the Latin castra, meaning camp. Dorchester, Manchester, etc., are English names of similar origin. Chester is, indeed, an old Roman fortification, as indicated by the discovery of coins, inscriptions, a statue of Pallas, Roman altars, and the like.

Next to the Roman antiquities in interest is Chester Cathedral. The ground plan is that of a cross. The main body is 355 feet long by 75 feet wide. The transept is 200 feet long. The vaulting rises to a height of 78 feet. The exterior has notable ranges of windows and is marked by a square central tower. The cathedral is of special interest in that it combines every variety of English medieval architecture from Norman to the latest pointed style. Architectural contrasts have been combined attractively and create an agreeable impression.

The two main streets of Chester cross each other at right angles and terminate in massive gates. These streets were excavated by the Romans to a depth of eight or ten feet below the general level. Rows of houses, half timber, half mortar work, with curiously carved gables, are reached by steps from the street below. The upper story of each house projects about sixteen feet over the lower story, and is supported by pillars, thus forming a covered colonnade or footway running the entire length of the street. All in all, Chester is one of the most peculiar and interesting cities in England. Tourists landing at Liverpool run to Chester and stay over for a night on their way to London. The town is the seat of Cheshire County, a rich agricultural region, famous for Cheshire cheese. The population of the city in 1908 was about 39,000.

The name of Chester Plays is given to a collection of mystery plays founded on scriptural subjects. They were represented by the guilds of Chester at Whitsuntide, and ran three days. These plays appear to belong to the same generation as the Passion Play at Oberammergau.

See England