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 Grosvenor Bridge | A Virtual Stroll Around the Walls of Chester 13. The Roodee |
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aving safely negotiated busy Grosvenor Road, we, until very recently, would have been immediately struck by the large, ugly and to my mind, extremely inappropriately-sited building at the junction with Nicolas Street- the busy Inner Ring Road- on our right.
This was the County Police Headquarters, designed by the County architect, Edgar Taberner and built between 1964 and 1967, at the astonishing cost for the time of over half a million pounds. The 'sculpted' ends of this otherwise drab block- visible in the photograph below- were designed by W. G. Mitchell and were made by pouring concrete onto polystyrene moulds. They actually won a National Civic Trust award in 1969.
Architectural commentator Nikolas Pevsner wrote of the building: "Extremely objectionably sited, an eight-storey block immediately by the propylaea of the castle and turning towards it a windowless wall with an agressive all-over concrete relief".
The softening effect of the landscaped areas which surrounded the Police HQ- the Nun's Field of old- was completely spoiled by the insensitive use of ugly metal barriers and numerous 'Keep Off- Police Property' signs.
Incorporated into the lower parts of the building were sandstone blocks from the castle-like Militia Buildings which formerly occupied the site. Built just after the Crimea War in 1854-6, they were used as married quarters for the families of troops serving at the Castle.
You can see them in the photograph below, which also shows Chester's forgotten 'Beefeaters'- dressed similarly to their surviving brethren at the Tower of London- the Javelin Men who once escorted the Judge's coach to the assizes at the Castle.
Changes
In February 1998 it was reported that the police intended to move out of their "crumbling" 30 year-old building, as it was "too cramped". The city force had confirmed a move to the site of the recently-demolished Arts Centre in Blacon and were looking for a location for a city centre base while their County colleagues wished to relocate elsewhere in Cheshire. The date for this move was said to be sometime in 2003. What then would be the fate of their present building was, at the time, anybody's guess- a report that it was to demolished to make way for a hotel had been officially denied, which led most locals to believe that there was probably something in it. Whatever the case, few would be sorry to see it go- they only hoped that the building that eventually replaced it would be, for a change, something the city could be proud of.
Three years later, in February 2001, the building was formerly put up for sale and, it was reported, "A number of potential developers, including leading hotel chains, have made their interest known".
The city council's Design and Conservation Manager commented that "There are two alternatives, either keep the building and refurbish it, or replace it. There has been a lot of debate about the present building and there are mixed feelings about it, but it is of architectural importance, is a gateway site for the city and is in a conservation area. In addition, the space around the building is protected and contains very significant archaeology".
A year later, in February 2002, city council planners duly recommended that the eyesore structure be demolished to make way for a "prestigious" new development. They have made it known thay they would favour a three or four-storey building that would create jobs, such as a hotel, leisure or conference centre. It had emerged that the County police would be relocating to their new purpose-built headquarters at Woodford Business Park in Winsford at the end of 2003 and the site would become available for redevelopment soon after.
Even those self-appointed guardians of our city's heritage, the Chester Civic Trust, who, just a few years ago, thought it would be a good idea to build a bunch of glass-and-steel office tower blocks at the Old Port, to "provide a 'gateway' to the city and be a commercially stimulating centrepiece for the revival of the area" decided not to campaign for the preservation of the building.
They were, however, "cautious" about the prospect of outright demolition and were said to recognise the value of a building "so clearly of its time"- and suggested that a "sensitive refurbishment" may have been more appropriate.
In this, they were as successful as they were trying to save the Militia Buildings, the police HQ's predecessor. But then, their national organisation did give the thing an award, "for its outstanding architectural contribution to the local scene" back in 1969...
And little has been heard from them to date regarding the fate of, to my mind, a far finer example of architecture of the period, the popular and award-winning Northgate Arena- "Chester’s premier leisure centre, offering activities for all the family"- soon, we're told, to become yet another victim of the profiteer's game when it is demolished to make way for a Hilton Hotel of all things...
Here we present a final photograph of the half-demolished Police HQ in October 2006- and some first views of what has been proposed by Liberty Properties PLC as its replacement. Said to contain the usual cocktail of hotel, conference centre, offices and 'luxury' apartments, this controversial structure is currently attracting little in the way of praise by locals. Further details coming soon...
The Minor Religious Houses
In Roman times, all of the land we see ahead of us between here and the distant towers on the NW corner of the City Walls was part of the civil settlement, lying west of the Legionary fortress and adjacent to the quays situated along the banks of a much more substantial river than we see today. In its southern part have been discovered the remains of several substantial houses and north of these, a small tributary river once ran westwards to join the Dee but this had been drained and partially infilled during Roman times- although the land remained low-lying and boggy for centuries to come.
Little is known of the area in the centuries following the withdrawal of the Legions but it seems have been relatively little used. The River Dee, however, was undergoing major changes as falling sea levels and silting resulted in the once-busy harbour becoming landlocked and the large tract of land that now lies between the river and the city- the Roodee we know today- started to be formed.
The other major change to the area was the creation of the City Wall upon which we now stand- which, to the surprise of many, did not actually exist on this side of the city until the early 12th century- to enclose this area within the defended circuit. This did not apparently result in any great immediate outburst of urbanisation, however, and most of the great area between the Castle and the North Wall long remained open land- known as The Crofts- and was utilised as smallholdings, gardens and orchards- land of relatively little value that could freely be granted for the founding of religious houses. Which, as we will learn, between the mid-12th to mid-13th centuries, is exactly what happened.
In Roman times, the ground on this side of the city west of the present day Inner Ring Road sloped sharply westwards down to the river bank and this slope was eventually cut into three terraces to produce level platforms for buildings and agriculture. The lowest of these terraces was fronted by the massive stone retaining wall which formed the Roman quayside, parts of which may still be seen on the Roodee today (see photograph below). The City Wall was eventually built on top of this lower terrace, about five metres back from its edge. Immediately north of the site, however, the quay ran across the mouth of the small drained river valley, presumably in the form of a causeway, isolating the valley from the river. Behind the causeway there was only soft ground, unsuitable for erecting a large wall on, so consequently the wall deviates westward and was built close to the quay edge- probably on top of the causeway itself.
The erection of this great wall produced a barrier at the foot of the hillside against which deposits washed down from the slopes above could accumulate, a process that continued from the 12th century right through to fairly recent times. The result is that the entire sloping hillside has disappeared beneath around five metres of accumulated deposits and the ground level we walk on today is now more or less level with the top of the wall. Looking over the parapet at the drop below (see the old photograph below) and the City Wall's great supporting buttresses makes the situation dramatically clear and explains why the walls appear so different on this side of the city to those elsewhere in the circuit.
The last traces of the boggy former tributary valley were filled in around 1827 by the construction of the great embankment to carry the approach road to the Grosvenor Bridge.
Commencing in the 1150s most of the Crofts were to be occupied by the houses of religious communities. Nontheless, much of the land remained unbuilt-upon, serving in its ancient role as the fields and vegetable gardens of the monks and nuns. After the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s and 40s, their estates were gradually split up and developed- the final section, Lady Barrow's Hey, at the far end of the road, as late as 1963, when the site was occupied by the extension of the Chester Royal Infirmary (which we will visit soon)- which itself was demolished in 1998 to make way for new housing.
Left: even 150 or so years ago, things looked very different from today, as you see in this interesting photograph, showing the Roodee much as we know it, but Nun's Road at the time was still an uneven grassy track snaking its way along the top of the wall.
Passing the boarded-off site of the recently-demolished Police HQ, we find ourselves standing in Nun's Road, so called because it occupies part of the lands of the Benedictine Nunnery of St. Mary's which stood on the site which was later occupied by the Police HQ from Saxon times until the reign of Henry VIII- when, in 1537, along with the neighbouring houses of the Black, White and Greyfriars, it was dissolved and the nuns cast out to fend for themselves. It was, however, recorded that the prioress and eleven other nuns were given pensions which they were still receiving 21 years later, in 1556.
The estate and buildings survived, however, and in 1542 were granted to Urian Brereton and became the Chester house of the Breretons of Handforth for the next hundred years. By the time of the Civil war in 1642-6, this was the home of Sir William Brereton- at least until he became leader of the Cheshire Parliamentary forces- early in 1643 the buildings were attacked and pillaged by Welsh soldiers who formed part of the Chester garrison loyal to the King.
Norman Tucker's stirring novel of 1949, Master of the Field (unfortunately no longer in print but well worth trying to find) dramatically recreates Sir William's home as it was at this time, as well as being a powerful evocation of the stirring event during the long and bloody Siege of Chester, when, along with many other buildings within and without the walls, the Priory buildings were largely destroyed and their remains left to fall into decay. The site was finally cleared and grassed over to form a fitting approach to the newly rebuilt Castle and today not a trace remains above ground. An archway from the old priory was, however, re-erected to form a 'folly' at St. John's Priory, a private house that once stood in the churchyard at St. John's Church and was, for a time, the home of the mother of the 'English Opium Eater', Thomas De Quincey. When that house was removed, the arch was transferred to Grosvenor Park, where it may still be seen today (together with an arch from St. Bridget's Church which stood for a thousand years in Lower Bridge Street before being demolished to make way for Grosvenor Street, and the ancient Shipgate, which we learned about earlier in our walk). Some of the old convent's stones were also incorporated into the rebuilt porch of the church of St. Mary-Within-the-Walls, next to the Castle. It was recorded that, when the site was cleared, many bones were uncovered, together with fragments of doors and windows and other masonry- some of Norman style others in the richer manner of the 15th century, painted and gilt-encrusted.
As previously mentioned, the construction of later buildings on the site have resulted in the probable complete destruction of the remains of the nun's church and its cloister. Much else, including the outer court and the 16th century mansion of the Breretons still survive beneath the formerly-landscaped area to the north west of the site. Will they be properly investigated this time- even, who knows, preserved in situ- before the new development takes place? Today's developers allow, and may even help to fund excavations, but frequently commercial pressure to build on ancient sites, especially those incorporating basements or underground car parks, often allow archaeologists only a brief time to complete their work before the remains are obliterated. 
Dennis Petch's terse description of the destruction of a great Roman bath house on the site of the Grosvenor Shopping Precinct is a classic example. Future generations will doubtless think us very foolish...
The nuns of St. Mary's originated as a poor order, and indeed for a long period had great difficulty making ends meet. Later, Royal patronage and liberal bequests ensured the nunnery became very rich and powerful.
Left: Guarded by the Javelin Men, the coach carrying the Judge and High Sheriff to the Chester Assizes at the Castle pass before the Militia Buildings which stood where the Police HQ building until recently was. The inner courtyard of the Militia Buildings may be seen below...
Though they are centuries dead and the stones of their church scattered and lost, a part of them remains with us today, for, around the year 1425 was composed within the walls of the nunnery the beautiful Carol (or Song) of the Nuns of Chester which forms part of the repertoire of choirs throughout the world and is widely available in numerous recordings. Go here to learn more about them.
Passing along Nun's Road, we soon come to a road on the right bearing the evocative name of Black Friars. This marks the approximate boundary between the precincts of the nuns of St. Mary's and the Dominican Friary, whose lands extended from here almost as far as Watergate Street.
The Dominicans, or Black Friars, were the first to establish themselves in Chester, founding their house here around 1236 (only fifty years after the first English Dominical foundation, at Oxford) and they dedicated their church to St. Nicolas. Documents show that a previous chapel, also dedicated to that saint, already existed on the land they acquired and they presumably used it before their own church was completed. By 1276, work had progressed so far that the monks built a pipeline from the natural springs (that had been in use since Roman times) at Boughton, 2 kilometers away, to supply their domestic quarters and kitchens with fresh water. The monastery was completed sufficiently for the Provincial Chapter of the Dominican order to be conducted here over three days in 1312.
Their church was rebuilt and expanded at least three times during the three centuries of occupation of the site and the last, and grandest, was still incomplete when the Friary was dissolved.
During the decade before the Dissolution, the monks made many leases of land, perhaps in an attempt to make provision for themselves when the end came or possibly in an optimistic attempt to raise funds to complete their ambitious building programme in the unlikely event of their house being spared. One such was to Ralph Waryn in May 1537 and included "lands, gardens and orchards with two old chambers and a ruinous building, with the surrounding stone walls on the east and north of the house and church" and another, a mere two months before the surrender, to Richard Hope for "three houses lying together at the lower end of the church with the parish of Saint Martin".
All was to no avail however, and the Dominicans, together with the other two Chester friaries, surrendered their house to Henry VIII's commissioners on 15th August 1538. An inventory of the buildings and contents were made which, aside from the stained glass in the windows and the lead on the roofs, found "little of value"- the monks having presumably disposed of all vestments, plate and other valuables bore the inevitable befell them. The estate was leased to Thomas Smythe and Richarde Sneyde who (or perhaps their successors) eventually 'asset stripped' it, demolishing the buildings and disposing of the finely-cut blocks of masonry and the fixtures and fittings for use elsewhere. Their demolition and levelling of the site was so thorough that subsequent archaeological excavation (which was much more thorough than at St. Mary's Convent) found very little masonry surviving above the foundations- and even much of that had been dug out. Pits discovered on the site were used for lead smelting, probably from the recovery of lead from the monastery's roofs and windows. There were some survivals, however, at least for a while. One early 17th century record, referring to the church, stated, "it stood in St. Nicolas Street and belonged to the Black Friars, and the great gate is yet remaining in the wall on the west side about the middle of the street". This gate may be seen on John Speed's 1610 map of Chester.
Some fragments survived for much longer- in his 1856 work, The Stranger's Guide to Chester, Thomas Hughes, after a description of the Roodee, wrote, "we will now return to the Walls, noticing as we pass through the Water Gate, to the right, the remains of the wall of the Black Friars' Monastery".
In the course of time, the estate was split up and developed but many of these modern property boundaries are aligned on the long-vanished Friary church and its associated buildings.
We shall learn a little of the third of the monasteries, that of the Franciscans, that once existed on this side of the city- and also of a further religious community, the Carmelite White Friars- when we reach the Watergate.
Even earlier, in Roman times, the river, which was then much wider and deeper, flowed right up to what is now the base of the medieval city wall. Remember that the Roman wall was set much further back than this, running along the line of the present inner ring road, between 
While you are down here, look out for the square stone column surmounted by a railed enclosure, known as the Judge's Chair- a relic of 18th century racing days. This column is the surviving one of a pair, the other having stood directly opposite, on the far side of the course.
