Chester City Walls - Present Day

Present Day

Chester city walls are a major tourist attraction for visitors to the city. They form an almost complete circuit of the city as it was in the medieval era, and measure almost 2 miles (3.2 km) in circumference. The walk is approximately rectangular in plan, on a continuous elevated walkway, apart from a short section on the south of the city. It incorporates medieval structures, including Bonewaldesthorne's Tower, attached to the Water Tower at the northwest corner, Pemberton's Parlour and Morgan's Mount on the north section of the walls, Phoenix Tower, Thimbleby's Tower and Barnaby's Tower on the east section of the walls, and the base of a drum tower on the south section. It crosses roads on the four major medieval gates to the city, Northgate, Eastgate, Bridgegate, and Watergate, and more modern roads on Newgate and St Martin's Gate. The walk also crosses Kaleyard Gate on the eastern section of the walls, and passes the Recorder's Steps on the south section.

The walls comprise the most complete Roman and medieval defensive town wall system in Britain. The entire circuit of the walls, together with the towers and gates, is recognised as a Scheduled Monument. Almost every section of the walls has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building, the only exception being the section of the walls between Bridgegate and the County Hall, which is listed at Grade II*. Upkeep and repair of the walls continue to cause problems. In 2008 a section of the wall collapsed and had to be repaired. It was reopened in 2010. There have been several fatal accidents of people falling from the walls.