Northgate, Chester

The Northgate in Chester is an iconic part of the city鈥檚 historic landscape, serving as both a functional and symbolic link between past and present. This Grade I listed structure carries the city walls footpath over Northgate Street and marks the site of Chester鈥檚 original northern Roman entrance.

Historically, the Northgate played a minor role during the medieval period, serving primarily as a local access point. At that time, it was a simple rectangular tower with a narrow gateway, later becoming the site of the city jail. Its current form dates to 1810, when the medieval gatehouse was replaced by the design of Thomas Harrison, commissioned by Chester City Council.

Built from pale red sandstone ashlar, the Northgate embodies neoclassical elegance. Its centerpiece is a segmental arch with a coffered soffit, flanked by rectangular portals for pedestrian access. Unfluted Doric half-columns frame the portals, adding symmetry and gravitas. The structure is topped by a dentilled cornice and a paneled parapet, enhancing its stately appearance. True to Harrison鈥檚 philosophy of minimalism, the Northgate was constructed using 鈥渁s few and as huge stones as possible.鈥�

Today, the Northgate serves as a prominent architectural feature of Chester鈥檚 city walls, blending its Roman, medieval, and Georgian legacies into one cohesive landmark.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Chester. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "51爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Northgate
Sight Location: Chester, England (See walking tours in Chester)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Chester's City Walls

Walking Tours in Chester, England

Create Your Own Walk in Chester

Creating your own self-guided walk in Chester is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Chester's City Walls

Chester City Walls are the oldest, longest and most complete (missing only just about 100 meters) historic defensive structure in Britain. Walking the full circuit of this ancient fortification provides wondrous views, wherever you choose to go, down into the city, and offers a fantastic insight into Chester's rich history.

First built by the Romans almost 2,000 years ago, the Walls were... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.3 Km or 1.4 Miles

Chester Introduction Walking Tour

Chester is a walled city in Cheshire. It was originally founded in 79 AD as a Roman fort with the name Deva Victrix. It was garrisoned until the 4th century when it was abandoned by the Romans. It is thought that the area was settled by Anglo-Saxons during medieval times. It was also briefly occupied by the Danes.

Chester was very important during the Industrial Revolution. This is largely due... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.4 Km or 1.5 Miles

Chester's Black-and-white Architecture Tour

While the origins of Chester date back to Roman Times, much of the city center, and by far the greatest part of it, looks medieval. Indeed, if you visit the city, the first thing you notice is the magnificent black-and-white architecture. Despite their appearance, however, the majority of these buildings are Victorian by the time of construction.

The Black-and-White Revival was an architectural... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.0 Km or 0.6 Miles

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