Description

CHESTER CITY (IM)

SJ4066NW CITY WALLS
595-1/1/109 Part of City Wall from Northgate to
28/07/55 Phoenix Tower
(Formerly Listed as:
City Walls & Towers incl.
foundations of SE angle Roman
Fortress wall & tower)

GV I

Length of City Walls comprising masonry of the east half of
the north wall of the Roman legionary fortress. Late C1 to
early C2 and possibly later, medieval wall late C11 to early
C12 converted to a raised promenade 1702 to 1708 and
spasmodically repaired. Purple-grey Bunter sandstone Roman
ashlar and medieval and later softer red sandstone coursed
rubble. The features of exceptional interest are 2 full-height
portions of the probably Hadrianic Roman wall-face to the then
turf rampart, behind. The west portion of the masonry is based
on bedrock, up to 13 courses high and 35 ashlar stones long
and has the moulded Roman cornice immediately beneath the
former Roman and, at the same level, present parapet. The east
portion is up to 11 courses high and 42 ashlar stones long.
The wall faces the Shropshire Union Canal in a rock-cut
deepening of the former Roman and medieval ditch. There may be
some Roman ashlar in the canted north-east corner of the wall
adjacent to Phoenix Tower (qv). The Roman wall-face is
battered, supposedly having gradually moved back as the turf
rampart behind it contracted. The medieval and post medieval
masonry shows numerous repairs.
This length of the City Wall is approx 375m long and 2m wide.
(Strickland TJ: Roman Chester: Nelson: 1984-1986: PASSIM;
Cheshire Sites and Monuments Record: Collens J: Chester City:
3000/1/7; The Buildings of England: Pevsner N & Hubbard E:
Cheshire: 1971-: 155).

Listing NGR: SJ4050466699

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17528391

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair