Chester was an important Roman town (Deva) and regional centre. It became a thriving medieval town, with a circuit of walls enclosing a network of streets with parish churches, a number of large religious houses, and the famous Rows of two-storeyed shops.  After the reformation, the huge abbey church of St Werburgh’s became Chester Cathedral. Surrounded on the south and west by the River Dee, the city was also an important port and mercantile centre, a judicial centre and the administrative centre for Cheshire.  Many of its outstanding buildings and sites of interest remain and are shown on this full-colour map.

The Historical Map of Chester shows, on a multi-period map, how Chester developed. It includes its vanished buildings and earthworks, as well as those that remain. A comprehensive gazetteer on the map’s reverse, complete with many illustrations, explains the city’s history and introduces its buildings and sites of interest.

Authors:

Thomas Pickles is Associate Professor of Early Medieval History and Katherine Wilson is Associate Professor of Late Medieval History, both at the University of Chester.