Chester

There is little known about the area around the city of Chester prior to the Roman occupation. But the site, being located at a natural harbour, a river crossing and the highest navigable point on the river Dee must have had some significance in the centuries before the invasion. Pottery remains have been found to suggest that there was trade with Rome and the western Mediterranean prior to the Roman occupation.

It was shortly after 74AD that the Second legion arrived from Lincoln to build a new legionary depot at what we now call Chester as part of the campaign against the Brigantes, the northern Celtic tribe. With it's harbour and strategic location amongst unruly British tribes, and with a possible invasion of Ireland Chester was developed as a major military base. Named Deva Victrix after the river on which it stands.

At 25 hectares (62 acres) it was the largest fort constructed in the period. It contained a headquarters building (principia), barracks for the soldiers, granaries for food storage and baths. It had a gate on each of the four walls and roads that ran directly between them. These today can be seen as Northgate Street, Eastgate Street, Bridge Street and Watergate Street. Around the military stronghold, a large civilian settlement, the canabae, established to support the military effort and in this area the early wooden amphitheatre was built.

Around 90AD the second legion was replaced by the Twentieth who had taken part in the invasion of Britannia in 43AD. Here the Legio XX Valeria Victrix remained for more than 300 years. In the second century much of the largely timber built military depot was rebuilt in stone. Along the walls they built 22 square towers about 60 metres(200feet) apart. An indication of the Roman desire to make their base at Chester a permanent position. And perhaps an indication of the reluctance of the native British to succumb to Roman rule. The high standard of the masonry work is an indication of how important the location had become to the empire. The walls were built of large sandstone blocks without mortar, a technique usually reserved for temple or city walls rather than those of a fortress.

At this time the wooden amphitheatre was enlarged and rebuilt in stone to accommodate an audience of between 8,000 and 10,000 people. The largest such structure in Britain. And the wooden bridge across the Dee replaced with a stronger stone based one.

In the latter half of the 2nd century Chester began to see some demilitarisation as the 20th legion saw service along Hadrians Wall, building the Antonine Wall and in other parts of the empire. Some of the Military buildings appear to have been neglected whilst there appears to have been more development in the canabae outside. However, under Emperor Septimus Severus, at the end of the 2nd century and into the 3rd great building activity took place and constructions planned a century before were completed.

Roman military occupation may have ended at the end of the 4th century AD as the Roman Empire dissipated. In around 401AD the 20th legion was recalled to defend Rome itself against the invading Visigoths.

Chester probably continued to be occupied by the civilian population and may have become a stronghold of the Kingdom Of Powys within who's boundaries it stood. The name Chester, as in many settlements around England that had their origins as Roman camp, is derived from the Latin word castrum, meaning “fort” or “army camp”. It shares this with places like Winchester, Cirencester, Worcester and Gloucester.

In Edgars Field, Handbridge, on the south bank of the Dee there are the remains of a Roman quarry where sandstone building material was extracted for the building of Deva Victrix. On a wall of the quarry is a shrine devoted to the godess Minerva. It lies at the side of the Roman road approaching the city from the south. This is the only such shrine still in it's original place in Britain.