Chester originated because the Roman legionary fortress of Deva. Stone defenses first rose round Ad one hundred and for the subsequent three centuries it housed the Twentieth Legion. When the Roman occupation got here to an finish the location seems to have been deterred, however the Danes took refuge one winter behind the previous partitions and withstood a Saxon try to dislodge them. This prompted Ethelred, Earl of Mercia, to ascertain a burgh right here on the Wessex sample in 907. It put up a uncommon resistance to William the Conqueror however fell in 1070. The current metropolis wall is basically of the thirteenth century, a interval when most English towns rebuilt their defenses.
Underlying the medieval defenses are the stays of the legionary fortress. This had the standard rectangular plan of Roman forts, with rounded corners and a gate on every aspect. Town wall follows the Roman alignment on the north and east. Near Newgate may be seen the muse of the Roman angle tower the place the 2 partitions parted firm.
King Charles’ Tower, on the north-east nook, is the better of the mural towers. From right here Charles I watched the Battle of Rowton Heath. However, an much more spectacular tower is the cylindrical Water Tower, added in 1322-26 at the tip of an embattled spur wall which initiatives from the north-west nook of the circuit.
Chester Castle occupies a knoll overlooking the river on the south finish of the walled metropolis. Before the defenses had been prolonged it stood outdoors their circuit. William the Conqueror based the castle after town had fallen, however he quickly made Hugh d’Avranches Earl of Chester and granted the castle to him. The tower’s higher flooring accommodates a vaulted chapel in Norman Traditional fashion, agen domino adorned with the stays of newly-found frescoes. A size of inside curtain additionally survives.