TRAVEL. HISTORY

Chester

Why this small English town is a must-see for history buffs

The Old Bridge over the River Dee. Getty Images

In November 2019, I ventured to Chester, close to the Welsh border, and 40 minutes south of Liverpool. Chester was settled by the Romans in the first century and there’s heaps of evidence in and around Chester to verify this. The multi-talented Tony acted as my personal tour guide, and I learned so much of Chester’s history. It was absolutely fascinating.

Roman Ruins

We visited Minerva’s Shrine, the oldest Roman shrine in the whole country still in existence in situ. It is still beside the route of the old main Roman road into the fortress of Deva from the south.

Deva (or Dewa) is the ancient name for Chester derived from the River Dee on which it sits. When the river isn’t so flooded, Tony said you can still see the remains of the old Roman bridge at the bottom of the river.

Minerva’s Shrine. Photo by author.

We visited the largest amphitheatre in Britain and went for a walk along the medieval walls. The Roman ones around the fort were originally timber but were replaced with stone. Part of the Roman walls lies buried under the current…