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 St. John's Church |
A Virtual Stroll Around the Walls of Chester 9. The 'Roman Garden' |
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St. John's Church |
A Virtual Stroll Around the Walls of Chester 9. The 'Roman Garden' |
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aving
returned
from
our
detour
via
the
Amphitheatre
and
St. John's
Church
and
rejoined
the
Newgate,
we
take
leave
of
the
Roman
course
of
the
wall,
not
meeting
it
again
until
St.
Martin's
Gate
on
our
homeward
stretch,
and
now
enter
the
Saxon
extension
commenced
about
907
AD
by
Aethelfleda,
countess
of
Mercia.
The occupying Danes had been driven out of Chester by her father, Alfred the
Great and renovating the old fortress was part of Aethelfleda's continuing strategy
to resist their increasing incursions. It was establishment as
the centre of a line of burghs, stretching from Manchester to Rhuddlan,
to protect the northern frontier of Mercia.
It is said that she suffered excessive discomfort at the birth of her first
child and therefore avoided the embraces of her husband Ethelred for
the next fourty years, saying that "It was not fit for a King's daughter to
be given to a pleasure that brought so much pain along with it."
It seems her abstinence left her plenty of energy for other pursuits, among
which was the restoration and extension of Chester's defences after the harsh
treatment they had received during the preceding centuries- most recently by
the Danes:
"They marched without a halt by day and night, until they arrived at a deserted
Roman site in Wirral, called Chester. The English were unable to overtake them
before they got inside that fort, but they besieged it some days" (Anglo
Saxon Chronicle: AD894 )
It is surely a testament to the quality of the XXth Legion's defences that,
500 years after their departure, these occupying Norsemen could still find shelter
from an English army behind them.
However,
parts
of
the
walls
had
fallen
into
a state
of
decay,
and,
after
her
expulsion
of
the
invaders,
Ethelfleda
set
about
their
rebuilding
and
radical
enlargement.
Much
of
this
southern
section
is
said
to
be
her
work-
although
considerable
rebuilding
and
extension
was
also
later
undertaken
by
the
Normans- the entire city wall, for example, between the Grosvenor Bridge and the Water Tower was constructed by them.
The new town developed into an important port known as Legeceastre- a
Saxon corruption of the latin Legio, a Legion and Castra, a fortress,
which in time became shortened to Chester.
Looking
down
on
the
outside
of
the
wall
you
can
see
the
so-called
Roman
Garden-
seen
here
before
its
restoration,
with
the
Newgate
in
the
background-
in
which
is
displayed
a
motley
collection
of
ancient Roman
stonework,
including
assorted
columns
and
a
reconstructed
hypocaust,
or
underfloor
heating
system-
which
have
been
unearthed
at
various
locations
around
the
town
and
reassembled
here. Chester's
ancient
High
Cross
was
for
many
years
displayed
here
also.
First
mentioned
in
city
records
in
1377,
during
the
Civil
War,
the
Cross
had
served
as
a
rallying
point
for
the
Royalist
citzens,
but
after
their
eventual
surrender
to
Parliamentiary
forces
at
the
end
of
the
siege
in
1646,
it
was
feared
they
would
destroy
it,
an
ordinance
of
1643
having
called
for
the "utter
demolishing
of
all
monuments
of
superstition
and
idolatry". After
their
surrender,
the
citzens
had
received
reassurances
that
"no
church
within
the
city,
evidences
or
writings
belonging
to
the
same
shall
be
defaced" and
assumed
this
also
applied
to
the
Cross.
They
were
wrong,
and
it
was
demolished. The
ornate
top
section,
with
its
carved
figures
of
saints,
apostles
and
the
Virgin
Mary,
vanished
without
trace. The
base
of
the
Cross
ended
up,
around
1817,
at Plas
Newydd in
Llangollen,
North
Wales,
where
it
remains
to
this
day.
The
remainder
was
hidden
under
the
steps
of
nearby
St.
Peter's
Church,
and
stayed
there
forgotten
until
being
rediscovered
in
1820,
during
the
course
of
repairs.
A
churchwarden
placed
the
pieces
in
his
garden
in
Handbridge,
until
they
were
acquired
by
the
1st
Duke
of
Westminister
some
sixty
years
later,
who
had
them
placed
in
the
newly-opened
Grosvenor
Museum.
The
city
council
re-erected
the
Cross
here in
the
Roman
Garden
in
1949,
but,
with
the
coming
of
pedestrianisation,
it
was
restored
to
its
ancient
original
site
at
the
intersection
of
the
city's
main
streets
in
1975,
after
an
absence
of
some
329
years.
The
Roman
Garden was
established
in
1949,
either
by
Graham
Webster,
then
curator
of
the
Grosvenor
Museum,
or
Charles
Greenwood,
the
City
Engineer,
as
Chester's
contribution
to
the
1951
Festival
of
Britain.
Today
it
is
a
quiet
oasis
in
a
busy
part
of
the
city,
but
it
was
not
always
so
peaceful
here.
Standing
in
the
garden
and
looking
at
the
stretch
of
city
wall
visible
on
the
left
of
the
photograph
above,
through
the
shrubs
you
will
see
a
section "so
wide
that
six
horses
might
have
marched
up
in
rank" that
clearly
differs
from
the
masonry
around
it.
This
is
a
repaired
breach
made
by
Parliamentary
bombardment
from
the
churchyard
and
tower
of St. John's
Church
in
September,
1645
during
the
Siege
of
Chester.
The
commander
of
the
Royalist
defending
forces,
John,
first
Baron
Byron (an
ancestor
of
the
poet
Lord
Byron)
had
ordered
the
pulling
down
of
the
tower
to
avoid
just
such
a
situation-
an
order
which
was
never
carried
out.
His
stirring
account
of
the
bloody
events
that
took
place
here
includes
the
following: "Thrice
that
night
the
enemy
was
upon
the
top
of
the
wall,
but
at
last
quite
beaten
off.
Seven
of
them
were
killed...who
afterwards
fell
into
the
street,
and
were
the
next
day
buried
by
us.
There
were
some
of
them
taken
alive,
but
much
hurt, and
so
drunk
that
the
scent
of
them
was
most
offensive".
If
you
were
to
view
the
approaching
south
east
corner
of
the
city
wall
from
outside,
you
would
be
able
to
see
clear
evidence
of
the
cannon
and
mortar
(grenado)
damage
inflicted
by
Parliamentary
guns
firing
from
the
chuch
and
from
across
the
river.
The
wall's
great
strength,
however,
ensured
its
survival-
give
or
take
the
odd
tower-
unlike
the
hundreds
of
lesser
structures
both
within
and
without
the
walls
which
were
destroyed
during
the
conflict.
Randle
Holme
III's
despairing
description
of
the
devastated
city
after
the
long
siege
makes
for
exceedingly
grim
reading.
Truly,
for
all
its
present
wealth
of
venerable
buildings,
had
the
siege
never
occured,
Chester
would
be
able
to
boast
of
far
more
ancient
houses,
churches
and
great
halls
than
it
now
does.
But
we
are
fortunate
that
so
much
still
remains
with
us,
despite
the
ravages
of
ancient
armies
and
modern
developers...
The
walls
viewed
from
this
area
are
quite
magnificent
and
clearly
show
the
different
styles
of
masonry
employed
over
their
many
centuries
of
rebuilding
and
repairs.
The
ancient
lower
courses
on
this
corner
of
city
wall
are
now
so
weathered
it
is
difficult
to
distinguish
them
from
the
sandstone
bedrock
upon
which
they
stand.
Bowls and Cockfights
The
area
between
the
Roman
Garden
and
the Chester Groves public
house
(formerly known as Old Orleans) by
the
riverside
was, as may be seen above,
until
recently
a
curiously
neglected
wasteland
containing
some
enigmatic
old
carved
column
bases
and
a
lot
of
brambles.
Chester
historian
Frank
Simpson,
writing
as
recently
as
1910,
described
a "beautifuly
laid-out
bowling
green",
and
also
that
"on
the
north
side
of
the
green
and
just
beyond
a
small
orchard,
stands
the
site
of
the
old cock
pit".
In
Batenham's
Stranger's
Companion
in
Chester of
1823,
we
read
of
this
spot: "Looking
across
the
orchard
beneath,
we
see
the
venerable
tower
of St. John's
Church,
nodding
over
its
mouldering
base".
(It
fell
down
less
than
sixty
years
later
and
that
'mouldering
base'
is
all
that
remains)
"At
the
end
of
the
orchard,
under
the
wall,
is
a
mean
thatched
circular
building,
used
as
part
of
a
pipe-manufactory,
but
occupied
during
the
race-week
for
the
cruel
practice
of
cock-fighting",
the
charge
for
admission,
he
tells
us,
being
five
shillings
a
day.
"William,
sixth Earl
of
Derby,
in
1619
made
a
faire
cock-pit
under
St. John's
in
a
garden
by
the
riverside
to
which
resorted
gents
of
all
parts
and
great
cocking
was
used
a
long
while".
Long
after
its
disappearance
the
site
continued
to
be
known
as
'Cock-fight
Hill'.
This cruel 'sport' was engaged in at numerous locations around the town including several inns and the specially-built cockpit long existed in the Roman Garden. The wooden structure was replaced in 1825 by a brick building with a slate roof, paid for by the 'sportsmen' themselves. It became the custom during race weeks at the Roodee for 'gentlemen' to spend their mornings at the cock fights while their ladies visited the shops. So popular did the activity become that, should the cock fighting overrun, as occured in 1834, the start of the horse racing had to wait until it had finished! Finally officially banned in 1849, the sport went underground and doubtless continues up to the present day. In 1956, police raided a cock fight at Cotton Edmunds Farm at Waverton, a village near Chester, close to the site of today's popular Crocky Trail and made 36 arrests, including 13 local farmers.
As recently as 1972, the Chester Riverside Study told us that "the bowling green at Queen's Park Bridge... is very attractive and well-used, and should remain". Unfortunately, soon afterwards, the land was sold and the new pub was built on part of the site- where some unsightly metal boathouses formerly stood- and the rest was allowed to revert to wilderness.
In
May
1997, however,
the
local
press
reported
the
welcome
news
that
Chester
City
Council
were
to
create
a
new
park
on
Cock-Fight
Hill!
The
owners
of
the
pub
on
the
Groves,
Scottish
and
Newcastle
Breweries,
had
generously donated
the
land,
on
the
provision
that
it
should
be
used
for
public
recreation.
The
fence
separating
it
from
the
Roman
Garden
was
to
be
removed,
a
new
path
linking
the
city
centre
to
the
Groves
created
and
the
old
gateway
through
the
walls
into
Park
Street-
at
the
time
effectively
lost
behind
the
brambles-
to
be
re-opened.
It
was
proposed
that
the
area
be
named Cockpit
Park
and
it
was
to
feature
a
circle
of
stone
columns
topped
with
bronze
cockerels
(!)
to
mark
the
site
of
the
ancient
cockpit.
As
it
turned
out,
neither
of
these
proposals
were
acted
upon.
In
January
1999,
a
brief
archaeological
investigation
of
the
site
took
place,
followed
in
May-
two
years
after
the
plans
were
announced-
by
an
official
'turf
cutting'
ceremony. Funding for the project came partly from a £100,000 bequest by the late Sally,
Duchess of Westminster- aunt of the present Duke- Capital Bank contributed £80,000
and the remaining £20,000 from the city's Capital Challenge Fund. The
late
Duchess
had travelled
the
world
in
search
of
rare
and
unusual
plants
and
was
very
involved
with
the
development
of
the
gardens
at
Chester
Zoo.
City Council Landscape Officer Tom Walker said of the project, "The new park
is to contain features that explain the fascinating history of the area. It's
not just a building project, but a voyage of discovery... a tremendously exciting
project which will generate a great deal of interest for local people and visitors".
The
new
park-
illustrated
above-
is
now
complete.
We're
sure
you'll
ageee
that
it
all
looks
most
impressive,
down
to
the
marble
benches
and
newly-planted
cypress
trees and other plants originating in the Roman world.
But
visitors
should
be
aware
that
this
so-called
Roman
Garden,
attractive
as
it
is,
remains
little
more
than
a
pretty
sham,
whereas,
unforgivably,
while
work
on
it
was
going
on,
the
genuine
article-
the
unexcavated
half
of
Chester's
great
Roman
amphitheatre
right
next
door-
was
overrun
with
excavating
machines,
preparing
the
ground
for
a
new
office
and
court
complex
with
associated
car
park
to
be
erected
on
top
of
it! Your
guide,
together
with
all
these
correspondents,
wondered
at
the
rationale
of
a
local
authority
that
could
allow-
even
defend-
such
an
act
of
desecration...
Bidding farewell to the Roman Garden and returning to the city wall,
on
the
corner
of
Park
Street,
we
can
see
an
ugly
modern
multi-storey
car
park
surmounted
by
a
large
stone
lion
which
once
stood
on
the
top
of
the
Lion
Brewery,
the
former
occupant
of
the
site.
A
little
further
on
is
a
striking
medieval-style
timber
house
by
W. H. Kelly,
built
as
recently
as
1881,
which
bears
the
legend, "The
Fear
of
the
Lord
is
a
Fountain
of
Life",
said
to
be
the
inscription
on
an
ancient
coin
found
on
the
site.
Less
romantically,
the
building
currently
houses
a
dental
surgery.
Next,
we
come
to
a
fine
row
of
17th
century
former
almshouses
known
as
the
Nine
Houses-
though
actually
only
six
remain
today.
Aspiring
residents
of
these
cottages
had
to
be
over
65
years
old
and
abstain
from
tobacco
and
alcohol-
unlike
the
more
fortunate
occupants
of
the
almshouses
behind
the
Bluecoat near
the
Northgate,
whose
daily
fare
included "A
loaf
of
bread,
a
dish
of
pottage, half
a
gallon
of
competent
ale and
a
piece
of
fish
or
flesh,
as
the
day
shall
require".
Each
house
has
a
gable
spanning
the
timber-framed
upper
storey,
which
extends
out
from
the
sandstone
ground
floor-
an
unusual
arrangement
in
Chester,
where
the
ground
floors
of
the
old
buildings
beyond
the
rows
more
often
have
timber
framing
on
sandstone
plinths.
The
Nine
Houses
had
been
allowed
to
fall
into
disrepair
over
the
years,
and
narrowly
avoided
being
destroyed
in
the
1960s.
Remarkably,
in
a
period
not
noted
for
its
sympathetic
treatment
of
ancient
buildings-
the
fine
Victorian
Market
Hall
had
been
demolished
amid
fierce,
and
continuing,
controversy
the
year
before.
A
grant
was
obtained
and
a
complete
restoration
was
undertaken
in
1968.
Local
historian,
Bernard
Wall- who sadly died in April 2002-
took
exception
to
the
view
that
these
were
ever
almshouses,
however,
stating
that
they
had
always
been
defined
as
'dwellings'
ie
family
houses.
He
said
he
personally
knew
a
lady
who
had
raised
her
family
there.
In
the
1960s,
a
row
of
actual
almshouses
on
Pepper
Street
on
the
site
of
today's
Conservative
Club
close
to
the
present
Police
HQ
were
demolished
to
make
way
for
the
Inner
Ring
Road
and
their
occupants
were
transferred
to
the
Nine
Houses
after
they
had
been
renovated.
Immediately
after
the
Nine
Houses,
we
see
the splendid Albion
Inn,
a
fine
example
of
that
rare
and
eccentric
thing,
a
true
English
pub-
real
fires,
real
ale,
no
jukebox
or
bigscreen
TV-
and
an
opportune
spot
for
us
to
rest
and
partake
of
refreshments.
Be
aware
that
a
sign
outside
the
Albion declares
it
to "family
hostile"-
one
of
a
dwindling
number
of
British
pubs
that
does
not
welcome
children.
Just
opposite
the
pub
is
a
ramp
which
will
allow
you
easy
access
to
and
from
the
city wall.
You
will
also
notice
the
previousy sealed-up door
through
the
wall
here
leading
to
Cockpit
Hill,
as
discussed
mentioned
above.
The
well-maintained
terraced
houses
seen
here
in
Albion
Street
and
Duke
Street
were
erected
between
1865
and
1869
on
the
former
bowling
green
and
pleasure
gardens
of
the
old
Talbot
Hotel
(formerly
Park
House)
of
1715,
which
formerly
stood
in
Lower
Bridge
Street.
Around
the
same
time,
the
17th
century
Harvie's
Almshouses
which
formerly
stood
in
Duke
Street
were
demolished.
The
curious
turreted
building
you
can
see
at
the
end
of
Albion
Street
is
the
Volunteer
Drill
Hall,
built
in
the
Gothic
style
in
1869
as
the
HQ
of
the
2nd
volunteer
battalion
of
the
Cheshire
Regiment,
but
now
converted
for
residential
use.
Our exploration of the Walls of Chester now take us down to the delights of the River Dee..
Curiousities from Chester's History no. 15
* This most horrible and barbaric of punishments prevailed for hundreds of years in England for the most serious of crimes- most notably High Treason. It involved the unfortunate criminal being dragged around the town, and from there to the place of execution (in Chester's case Boughton, a mile or so outside the Eastgate)- on a wooden sledge or pallet, being there hung for a short period, but cut down while still conscious, then having his private parts cut off and burned before his eyes, followed by his belly being slit open and his bowels similarly burned. Trouble was taken to ensure the victim remained conscious and observant throughout the process, which was witnessed by large crowds. Finally, he was beheaded and his torso roughly chopped into four pieces which, together with his head, would be publicly displayed- after being sprinkled with certain spices to prevent the birds pecking at it- in prominent positions around the town, such as upon the city gates- or even in different cities throughout the country...
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