Editing Chester Castle

{{Short description|Castle in Chester, England}}
{{For|the civil parish named Chester Castle|Chester Castle (parish)}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox Historic building
|image=Chester Castle - geograph.org.uk - 1022086.jpg
|caption=Chester Castle
|name=Chester Castle
|location_town=[[Chester]], Cheshire
|location_country=England
|map_type=Cheshire
|coordinates = {{coord|53.1853|-2.8923|type:landmark_region:GB-CHW|display=inline,title}}
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|architect=[[Thomas Harrison (architect)|Thomas Harrison]]
|client=
|engineer=
|construction_start_date=1070
|completion_date=1822
|date_demolished=
|cost=
|structural_system=
|style=[[Norman architecture|Norman]], [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]]
|size=
}}

'''Chester Castle''' is in the city of [[Chester]], Cheshire, England. It is sited at the southwest extremity of the area bounded by the [[Chester city walls|city walls]]. The castle stands on an eminence overlooking the [[River Dee, Wales|River Dee]]. In the castle complex are the remaining parts of the medieval castle together with the [[neoclassical architecture|neoclassical]] buildings designed by [[Thomas Harrison (architect)|Thomas Harrison]] which were built between 1788 and 1813. Parts of the neoclassical buildings are used today by the [[Crown Court]] and as a [[Cheshire Military Museum|military museum]]. The museum and the medieval remains are a tourist attraction.

==History==

The castle was built in 1070 by [[Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester|Hugh d'Avranches]], the second [[Earl of Chester]].<ref name=ccc>{{citation |title=Information Sheet: Chester Castle &#124; |publisher=[[Cheshire West and Chester]] }}</ref> It is possible that it was built on the site of an earlier [[Saxons|Saxon]] fortification but this has not been confirmed. The original structure would have been a [[motte-and-bailey]] castle with a wooden tower. In the 12th century the wooden tower was replaced by a square stone tower, the Flag Tower. During the same century the stone gateway to the inner bailey was built. This is now known as the Agricola Tower and on its first floor is the chapel of St Mary de Castro.<ref name=ccc/> The chapel contains items of Norman architecture.<ref>{{Citation|url=http://www.crsbi.ac.uk/search/county/site/ed-ch-chsmc.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005145244/http://www.crsbi.ac.uk/search/county/site/ed-ch-chsmc.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 October 2012 |title=St Mary de Castro, Chester, Cheshire |access-date=13 June 2010 |publisher=Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland }}</ref> In the 13th century, during the reign of [[Henry III of England|Henry III]], the walls of an outer bailey were built, the gateway in the Agricola Tower was blocked up and residential accommodation, including a Great Hall, was built along the south wall of the inner bailey. Later in the century, during the reign of [[Edward I of England|Edward I]], a new gateway to the outer bailey was built. This was flanked by two half-drum towers and had a drawbridge over a moat {{convert|8|m|ft}} deep. Further additions to the castle at this time included individual chambers for the King and Queen, a new chapel and stables.<ref name=ccc/><ref name=cow>{{citation  |url=http://www.castlewales.com/chester.html |title=Chester Castle |access-date=7 March 2008 |last=Northall |first=John |year=2006 |publisher=Castles of Wales }}</ref>

[[File:Chester Castle (35).jpg|thumb|left|The Norman chapel]]

Prominent people held as prisoners in the crypt of the Agricola Tower were [[Richard II of England|Richard II]] and [[Eleanor Cobham]], wife of [[Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester]], and [[Andrew de Moray]], hero of the Battle of Stirling Bridge.{{sfn|Richards|1947|p=102}} During the [[Wars of the Roses]], [[House of York|Yorkist]] [[John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu]] was captured and imprisoned at the castle by [[House of Lancaster|Lancastrians]] following the [[Battle of Blore Heath]], near the town of [[Market Drayton]], Shropshire, in 1459. He was released from captivity following the Yorkist victory at [[Battle of Northampton (1460)|Northampton]] in 1460.<ref>{{cite book|first=Jane |last=Laughton|title=Life in a late medieval city: Chester, 1275–1520 |page= 36|publisher=Windgather Press|year= 2008|isbn=978-1-905119-23-3}}</ref> Outside the outer bailey gate was an area known as the Gloverstone where criminals waiting for execution were handed over to the city authorities. The Great Hall was rebuilt in the late 1570s.<ref name=ccc/>

During the [[English Civil War|Civil War]] Chester was held by the [[Cavaliers|Royalists]].<ref name=ccc/> The castle was assaulted by [[Roundhead|Parliamentary]] forces in July 1643, and in January and April 1645.<ref>{{citation  | last =Phillips  | first =A.&nbsp;D.&nbsp;M.  | last2 = Phillips| first2 = C.&nbsp;B.| title =A New Historical Atlas of Cheshire  | publisher =[[Cheshire County Council]]  | year =2002  | location =Chester   | page =37 | isbn =0-904532-46-1 }}</ref> Together with the rest of the city, it was [[siege|besieged]] between September 1645 and February 1646.<ref name=ccc/> Following the civil war the castle was used as a prison, a court and a tax office.<ref name=cow/> In 1687 [[James II of England|James II]] attended [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] in the chapel of St Mary de Castro.{{sfn|Richards|1947|p=102}}  In 1696 Chester [[Mint (coin)|mint]] was established and was managed by [[Edmund Halley]] in a building adjacent to the Half Moon tower.<ref name=cow/> During the [[1745 Jacobite rising]] a gun emplacement was built on the wall overlooking the river.<ref name=ccc/>

[[Image:Chester Castle 1747.jpg|280px|thumb|Engraving by [[Samuel and Nathaniel Buck|Buck Brothers]] of Chester Castle in 1747]]
By the later part of the 18th century much of the fabric of the castle had deteriorated and [[John Howard (prison reformer)|John Howard]], the prison reformer, was particularly critical of the conditions in the prison. [[Thomas Harrison (architect)|Thomas Harrison]] was commissioned to design a new prison. This was completed in 1792 and praised as one of the best constructed prisons in the country. Harrison then went on to rebuild the medieval [[Chester Crown Court|Shire Hall]] in [[neoclassical architecture|neoclassical]] style. He also built two new wings, one to act as [[barracks]], the other as an [[Armory (military)|armoury]], and designed a massive new entrance to the castle site, styled the [[Propylaeum]]. The buildings, which were all in neoclassical style, were built between 1788 and 1822.<ref name=ccc/> The architectural historian [[Nikolaus Pevsner]] comments that Harrison's work constitutes "one of the most powerful monuments of the [[Greek Revival architecture|Greek Revival]] in the whole of England".<ref>{{Harvnb|Pevsner|Hubbard|2003|p=157.}}</ref>

In February 1867, Irish Fenian [[Michael Davitt]] led a group of [[Irish Republican Brotherhood|IRB]] men from Haslingden on an abortive raid for arms on the castle.<ref>{{cite book|first=Laurence |last=Marley|title=Michael Davitt |page= 26|publisher=Four Courts Press|year= 2007|isbn=978-1-84682-265-0}}</ref>

The [[British Army|Army]] moved in to take hold of the castle and in 1873 a system of recruiting areas based on counties was instituted under the [[Cardwell Reforms]] and the castle became the [[Regimental depot|depot]] for the two battalions of the [[Cheshire Regiment|22nd (Cheshire) Regiment of Foot]].<ref name=training>{{cite web|url=http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/depot/1873.htm |title=Training Depots |publisher=Regiments.org |access-date=16 October 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060210172841/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/depot/1873.htm |archive-date=10 February 2006 |df=dmy }}</ref> Under the [[Childers Reforms]], the 22nd regiment evolved to become the [[Cheshire Regiment]] with its depot in the castle in 1881.<ref name=training/>

In 1925, after being used for 200 years as a warehouse and ammunition store, the crypt and chapel in the Agricola Tower were [[Consecration|reconsecrated]] by the [[Bishop of Chester]] for the use of the Cheshire Regiment. In 1939 the chapel was refurnished.{{sfn|Richards|1947|p=102}} The castle remained the depot of the Cheshire Regiment until 1939, when the regiment moved out to [[Dale Barracks]].<ref name=chapter8>{{cite web|url=http://www.historyofuptonbychester.org.uk/Chapter%208.pdf|title=Military & Wartime Activities during the 20th Century|publisher=History of Upton by Chester|access-date=24 May 2014}}</ref>

==Present day==
[[Image:Propyleum, Chester.jpg|thumb|left|[[Thomas Harrison (architect)|Harrison]]'s [[Propylaeum]], the ceremonial entrance to the Castle]]
The complex is entered from Grosvenor Road through the [[Propylaeum]], a Grade&nbsp;I [[listed building]]. This consists of a massive [[entablature]] supported on widely spaced (''areostyle'') [[Doric order|Doric columns]], flanked by temple-like lodges.<ref>{{National Heritage List for England |num= 1271822|desc= Propylaea, Chester Castle |access-date= 8 April 2012 |mode=cs2}}</ref> Directly ahead is the former [[Chester Crown Court|Shire Hall]] (also listed Grade&nbsp;I) which now houses the [[Crown Court]]s. Its façade has 19&nbsp;bays, the central seven bays of which project forward and constitute a Doric [[portico]].<ref>{{National Heritage List for England |num= 1271823|desc= Assize Courts Block, Chester Castle |access-date= 8 April 2012 |mode=cs2|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> To the left is the former barracks block which is now the home of the [[Cheshire Military Museum]] and an army cadet detachment. To the right is the block which was originally an armoury and later an officers' [[mess]]. Both blocks are in neoclassical style and are listed Grade&nbsp;I.<ref>{{National Heritage List for England |num= 1271824|desc= A Block, Chester Castle|access-date= 8 April 2012|mode=cs2|fewer-links=yes}}</ref><ref>{{National Heritage List for England |num= 1245520|desc= B Block, Chester Castle|access-date= 8 April 2012|mode=cs2|fewer-links=yes}}</ref>

Further to the right are the remains of the Norman castle. The Agricola Tower is a Grade&nbsp;I listed building. It is built in [[sandstone]] [[ashlar]] with a metal roof in three storeys. The ground floor has a blocked gateway and to the right of the gateway is a slightly projecting stair turret. Internally, the ground floor consists of a crypt, and the first floor contains the chapel of St Mary Castro.<ref>{{National Heritage List for England |num= 1271825|desc= Agricola Tower, Chester Castle|access-date= 8 April 2012|mode=cs2|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> The Agricola Tower is also a [[scheduled monument]].<ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=1100771 |title=Pastscape:Agricola Tower |access-date= 5 April 2009|publisher=[[Historic England]] }}</ref><ref>{{National Heritage List for England |num= 1006773|desc= Chester Castle (part)|access-date= 8 April 2012|mode=cs2|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> The chapel is still consecrated as the regimental chapel of the Cheshire Regiment. Its ceiling is covered with [[fresco]]s dating from the early part of the 13th century which depict the [[Visitation (Christian)|Visitation]] and [[miracle]]s performed by the [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Virgin Mary]] which were revealed during conservation work in the 1990s.<ref name=ccc/>
[[Image:Agricola Tower.jpeg|thumb|Agricola Tower]]
To the south and the west, the curtain walls, which include the Halfmoon Tower, the Flag Tower and the gun emplacement, are listed Grade&nbsp;I.<ref>{{National Heritage List for England |num= 1245537|desc= Curtain wall to west and south west of inner bailey, Chester Castle|access-date= 8 April 2012|mode=cs2|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> Other walls within the castle complex are listed Grade&nbsp;II. These are the retaining walls and the railing of the forecourt designed by Thomas Harrison,<ref>{{National Heritage List for England |num= 1245518|desc= Retaining walls and railing of semi circular forecourt, Chester Castle|access-date= 8 April 2012|mode=cs2|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> and two other areas of the medieval curtain walls.<ref>{{National Heritage List for England |num= 1271821|desc= Curtain wall to east of inner bailey, Chester Castle|access-date= 8 April 2012|mode=cs2|fewer-links=yes}}</ref><ref>{{National Heritage List for England |num= 1245539|desc= Curtain wall to south of inner bailey, Chester Castle|access-date= 8 April 2012|mode=cs2|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> In the castle courtyard is a statue of [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]] dated 1903 by [[F. W. Pomeroy|Pomeroy]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Pevsner|Hubbard|2003|p=158.}}</ref> The inner bailey is managed by [[Cheshire West and Chester|Cheshire West and Chester Council]] on behalf of [[English Heritage]].<ref name=ccc/>

==See also==
{{portal|Cheshire}}
*[[Governor of Chester]]
*[[Siege of Chester]]
*[[Castles in Great Britain and Ireland]]
*[[List of castles in England]]
*[[List of castles in Cheshire]]
*[[Grade I listed buildings in Cheshire West and Chester]]
*[[Listed buildings in Chester Castle parish]]
*[[Norman architecture in Cheshire]]
*[[List of Scheduled Monuments in Cheshire (1066–1539)]]
*[[List of works by Thomas Harrison]]

==References==
'''Citations'''
{{Reflist|30em}}
'''Sources'''
{{refbegin}}
*{{Citation | last =Pevsner | first =Nikolaus | author-link =Nikolaus Pevsner | last2 = Hubbard | first2 = Edward | author2-link = Edward Hubbard (architectural historian) | series= The Buildings of England| title = Cheshire | publisher =[[Yale University Press]]| year =2003| orig-year=1971| location =New Haven and London|  isbn =0-300-09588-0 }}
*{{citation  | last =Richards | first =Raymond | title =Old Cheshire Churches | publisher =Batsford | year =1947 | location =London |oclc =719918}}
*{{citation |url= http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=57325|title= Major Buildings: Castle |access-date= 27 April 2011|editor1-last= Thacker |editor1-first= A.&nbsp;T.|editor2-last= Lewis|editor2-first= C.&nbsp;P.|work= A History of the County of Chester|volume = 5 |issue = 2 |year=1945 |series = [[Victoria County History]] |publisher= University of London & History of Parliament Trust |pages= 204–213}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Chester Castle}}
*[http://www.chesterwalls.info/castle.html A history of the castle part 1]
*[http://www.chesterwalls.info/castle2.html A history of the castle part 2]
*[https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/chester-castle-agricola-tower-and-castle-walls/ English Heritage site showing one of the frescos]
*[http://theprison.org.uk/ChesterCG/ History of Chester Castle Prison from theprison.org.uk] 
*{{YouTube|vhSFUOZsj6A|3D castle reconstruction}}

{{Cheshire}}
{{Chester city walls}}

[[Category:Castles in Cheshire]]
[[Category:Museums in Cheshire]]
[[Category:Military and war museums in England]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Chester]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1070]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1813]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1822]]
[[Category:English Heritage sites in Cheshire]]
[[Category:Grade I listed buildings in Chester]]
[[Category:Grade II listed buildings in Chester]]
[[Category:Scheduled monuments in Cheshire]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Cheshire]]
[[Category:Thomas Harrison buildings]]
[[Category:Neoclassical architecture in Cheshire]]