Sunday 25th July 1819
Sunday July 25th Chester is a large ancient town. There appears a great deal of genteel company. The Cathedral being in repair we went to St John’s Church in the morning and H Trinity in the evening it is not the fashion to walk out in the morning here but at six o’clock they assemble before the barracks where the band plays and it is a very gay scene.
OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:
Chester was founded as a Roman fort with the name Deva Victrix in the reign of the Emperor Vespasian in 79 AD. In 689, King Æthelred of Mercia founded the Minster Church of West Mercia, which later became Chester's first cathedral, and the Saxons extended and strengthened the walls to protect the city against the Danes. Chester was one of the last cities in England to fall to the Normans. William the Conqueror ordered the construction of a castle, to dominate the town and the nearby Welsh border.
Circa 1835: View from the Walls of Chester - looking into Wales. Engraving by T. Barber after T. Allom. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEViewFromWalls15.jpg
Chester is one of the best preserved walled cities in Britain. It played a significant part in the Industrial Revolution which began in the North West of England in the latter part of the 18th century. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester
circa 1810: Perspective View of Chester. Engraving published in "The Complete English Traveller". https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEChesterPersView.jpg
1817: Chester, from Hand Bridge. Engraving by C. Heath after Geo. Pickering, published by Lackington & Co. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEChesterFromHandBridge.jpg
1810: N. E. View of Chester. Engraving by J. Landseer and J. Woolnoth after J. Farington. R.A. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SENEViewChester.JPG
Circa 1800: South Prospect of the City of Chester. Engraved for "The Modern Universal British Traveller." https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SESProspChester.jpg
The cathedral (formerly the abbey church of a Benedictine monastery, dedicated to Saint Werburgh) is dedicated to Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since 1541 it has been the seat of the Bishop of Chester. It is typical of English cathedrals in having been modified many times, dating from between 1093 and the early 16th century, although the site itself may have been used for Christian worship since Roman times. All the major styles of English medieval architecture, from Norman to Perpendicular, are represented in the present building.
Circa 1823: Chester Cathedral. Etching, drawn and etched by W. Batenham. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEChesterCathedralBatenham.jpg
1810: Chester Cathedral. Engraving drawn and engraved by J. Storer. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEChesterCathJGreig11.jpg
The cathedral and former monastic buildings were extensively restored during the 19th century amidst some controversy, an opinion which will be shared by Lucy in two days time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_Cathedral
1809: Part of the Nave and Cloisters of Chester Cathedral, and of the Bishop's Palace adjoining. Engraving drawn and engraved by S. Lysons. Published in 1809. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEPartNaveCloistChestCath.JPG
St John the Baptist's Church was reputedly founded by King Aethelred in AD 689 and was the cathedral during the Middle Ages, though only the seat of the bishop in practice from 1075 to 1095. It lies outside the city walls on a cliff above the north bank of the River Dee.
1840: St. John's Church and Priory, Chester. Lithograph by Day & Haghe, after W. Tasker. Published by J. Seacome, Chester. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEStJohnsChurchChester14.jpg
1818: North East Prospect, St. John's Church, Chester. Engraving by J. Pigot after S. Brown. Engraved for Hanshall's History of Cheshire. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SENEProspectStJohnsCh14.jpg
Circa 1826: Ruins of St. John's, Chester. Engraving by J. Pigot from a drawing by Miss Nicholsons, Liverpool. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SERuinsStJohnsChester.jpg
After his coronation at Bath, King Edgar of England, came to Chester where he held his court in a place now known as Edgar’s field near the old Dee bridge in Handbridge. Taking the helm of a barge, he was rowed the short distance up the River Dee from Edgar’s field to St John the Baptist's Church by six (the monk Henry Bradshaw records he was rowed by eight kings) tributary kings where a royal council was held. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_John_the_Baptist%27s_Church,_Chester
The Barracks: It seems that it was not fashionable to go on the usual social morning promenade in Chester, but instead society gathered at the Barracks to listen to the band play.
Circa 1850: Castle, Barracks & Courts of Assize, Chester. Engraving published by Evans and Gresty, Eastgate Row, Chester. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SECastleBarracksCourtsChest11.jpg
Can you help us?
Old Regency Prints, Pictures an Coaching maps: Do you have access to any prints or pictures showing what town and country would have looked like when Lucy travelled through? Any illustrations of what she would have seen in 1819 will enliven our research.
New Pictures: Do you have any modern pictures of the streets, buildings, gardens and views that would enable us to see the changes that two centuries have wrought?