Chester Timeline - Victorian

Victorian Virtue

Queen Victoria ruled for nearly 64 years, from 1837 to 1901. Her reign was dominated by advances in technology, transport, and manufacturing that changed the face of Chester, and the whole of Britain, forever.

[Right] Watergate Row South, 1862. Watercolour by Thomas Shotter Boys. Each section of the Rows has a raised and sloping stallboard on the street side. This was used to display goods and as places where people could stand and watch the street below.

Chester's first gas works was established in 1817. By the 1830's gas lighting had reached all the city streets. Many houses were also enjoying the benefits of gas rather than candlelight. Sanitation improved as the century progressed with new sewers and improved water supply. Electricity was introduced to the city in the 1890's.

The railway arrived in Chester in 1840 with lines to Crewe and Birkenhead. By 1850 Chester was connected to Holyhead, Shrewsbury, London and Manchester. The city soon became a popular tourist centre for shopping and leisure. New hotels were built throughout the city to cater for the visitors. The internationally famous Grosvenor Hotel opened on Eastgate Street in 1866.

From the 1850's onwards, Chester's historic core was refurbished and revamped. A group of local architects completely changed the look of the city. They replaced existing buildings with new black and white half-timbered structures reminiscent of the medieval period. The Victorian Rows were wider, lighter and airier than their originals.

Chester was expanding rapidly. New housing suburbs were created. The city soon possessed a new town hall, market building, music hall, park, public library and museum. A clock was erected on the Eastgate in 1899 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee of 1897.

There was also another side to Chester. Behind the attractive half-timbered façade, the city, like many others, had its slum problems. People lived in appalling conditions in small courts of back to back housing with shared water and sanitation. Cholera epidemics were common. For many, life would not greatly improve until the 20th Century brought free housing and healthcare.

 [Above] Eastgate Street c. 1900. A horse-drawn tram makes its way down the middle of the street. The tram service began in 1879 and was electrified in 1903.

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