Chester

Extract from The New Travel Book -
North of Watford Gap - John Brown

Like everyone else who visits Chester,
I automatically gravitated toward the upper rows. They really are charming, with their uneven boarded floors, decorative balcony rails and low ceilings. The shops, although governed by the width of the front entrance space, appeared positively cavernous in their depth, and as for some of the goods on display, if I ever take up smoking the pipe, I know where to come for a quality Meerschaum. The other trick that Chester has pulled off with a great deal of aplomb is their indoor shopping centre. Where most towns and cities have in the past, simply bulldozed acres of fine buildings in their rush for concrete and steel. The planners at Chester Council, obviously sat down and against all perceived wisdom, thought about their idea in depth. The result is the Grosvenor Centre, a modern, airy precinct with a good size multi-storey car park that nobody can spot from the outside. You simply wander in and out of via the Rows, and how much more pleasant it is for that, nothing assaults the senses, and Chester has the best of both worlds, modern shops dressed in black and white splendour – perfect !