Chester City Walls - A Potted History

Roman Origins

The first Walls were built by the Romans as part of their conquest and occupation of Britain following the invasion by Claudius in 43 AD. They selected a raised area of land at the head of the Dee estuary for their legionary fortress, naming it Deva after the local name of the river.

Earth and Timber Ramparts

The first Walls were built from around 70 AD largely by the 2nd (II) Legion (Pia Fidelis 'Loyal and Faithful'). They were constructed using earth and turf with a wooden palisade on top. There would have been a defensive ditch outside the wall, with wooden towers and gates along it. The fort took on a classic 'playing card' shape and much of the Northern and Eastern sections of the present Walls still effectively follow the Roman line. 

Rebuilding with Stone

The fort and its Walls were gradually rebuilt using sandstone from the 90s, although reconstruction was suspended throughout much of the 2nd century and not completed until the early 3rd century. During this period the 20th (XX) Legion (Valeria Victrix 'Valiant and Victorious') garrisoned the site.

Aethelflaed's Burh

The Roman Legions abandoned Deva towards the end of the 4th century, as part of the general retreat of the Roman Empire. The state of the Walls during that time is unknown but they are thought to have been largely neglected. The next major development appears to be the creation of a burh (or fortified town) under the Saxon (Mercian) Queen Aethelflaed in 907. Aethelflaed, daughter of Alfred the Great, created Chester as a burh in response to the threat of the Vikings, in particular the Norse settlement of the Wirral Peninsula immediately to the North.

It is thought that she mainly used the Northern and Eastern sections of the Roman Walls as manned defences and extended these (possibly using mainly earth) to the River Dee both Westward and Southerly. This effectively created an 'L' shaped defensive wall to the landward side of the burh, although the former Southern and Western portion of the Roman Walls may have still had a role at this time. 

Norman Enclosure

Following the Norman Conquest in 1066, a castle was begun in 1070 to the South West of the former Roman fort on an area of high ground above the river. The Walls were also now extended to the West and South, encompassing the castle. They appear to have been along the line of their present course by the mid 12th century. It is likely that it is during this period that the Roman Western and Southern Walls were finally abandoned. 

In 1322 a spur ending in a tower (now the Water Tower) was built from the North West corner of the Walls to help protect the port and to take account of the shifting course of the River Dee.

Civil War Damage

Between the Norman period and the 17th century the financing of the maintenance and repair of the Walls was an ongoing issue. One mechanism was the use of customs duties levied on goods entering and leaving the city.

With the prospect, then outbreak, of the Civil War between the King and Parliament the Walls were repaired in the early 1640s - for example, through allocating all customs duties on wine imports through Chester's port. Furthermore, outworks (including earth banks, trenches and forts) were constructed to protect the suburbs in 1643, in effect creating a two-tier system of defence.

Chester was Royalist during the Civil War and under siege by Parliamentary forces from December 1644 until the city surrendered in February 1646. The medieval Walls were substantially damaged by the bombardment from the Parliamentary batteries. This included the creation of major breaches. 

An 18th Century Promenade

After the Civil War repairs were made to the Walls and they became a popular promenade - a fashionable place to stroll. In 1707-08 the sum of £1000 was allocated to restoring the full circuit by repairing holes, and by levelling and flagging the walkway. Further works occurred throughout the 18th and early 19th century so that the walkway became a continuous circuit not obstructed by towers or other impediments. During this period the four main medieval gates were replaced by the ornamental arches that exist today.

The Impact of Engineering Projects

The Walls have since been altered through a number of major engineering works.